WARRIOR: VOLUME TWO
by Bling101
Summary: Two years after the incident that took hundreds of lives, Beyblade is a sport of the past. Conglomerate king Kai tries to work his magic and bring the sport back to life while he is caught up in a mad game of corporate chess with his worst foe. Tyson is busy fighting not one, but two enemies, and one of them is himself. And while they're at it, somebody has got designs on them all.
1. Chapter 1

**I would like to apologize for the delay. I was busy. Yes, I was. But I've written some shit and I decided to upload it. So here you go. PART TWO!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

What goes on behind these doors

I'll keep mine and you'll keep yours

We all have our secrets

We all have our secrets

 **Naughty Boy**

 **Two Years Later**

"After much deliberation and afterthought," a cool voice spoke, carrying the news effortlessly over to the employees gathered in the conference room. "The board has decided to change its earlier decision to showcase our latest VR technology at the upcoming expo happening two months from now and in its stead reintroduce the sport of beyblade to the world."

A surprised and tense silence followed the announcement. Surprised because it was completely unexpected and tense because even though they were outraged, none of them were bold enough to protest against the board – or the man standing tall at the head of the table. The sharp as a whip descendant of one of the oldest zaibetsus that ever existed in Japan, with a lion's heart and hell bent determination, who had plunged his arm into a panther's jaws that was Japan's sinking economy without so much as a second thought and built an empire. A nineteen-year old Kai Hiwatari had accomplished in two years what many men failed to achieve during their entire lifetimes. When the global economy took a hit a few years back causing companies across the globe in lack of a strong foundation to shut down in multitudes, the young man who had recently come into power, saw the opportunity the situation presented to force shut the mouths of his sceptics and protesters and in a ridiculously bold move, turned a deaf ear to the directors and drained nearly all of the company's float to buyout entire businesses inside and outside of Japan's borders that were temporarily wounded from the hit and looking for shareholders. Kai then followed the stunt up with a series of strategic moves which would've earned him the respect of a champion chess player to drag the newly purchased businesses and the Hiwatari enterprises itself on board the proverbial Noah's ark to sail out the bloody financial storm. He also bought huge shares of his own company, thereby solidifying his position as the major shareholder in the Hiwatari enterprises and used that to constantly out-vote his fellow directors. Kai threw money around with the kind of recklessness that prompted his employees and the rest of the board members to believe he didn't give two shits about the company or its future, only to later learn that each of his decisions had not only been thoroughly calculated but also fine-tuned for the best advantageous outcome. He kept up the financial daredevilry for a while and by the time the Japanese economy climbed back up onto a much more stable state and the world economy finally touched fairer winds, the Hiwatari enterprises had gone from being a moderately-sized vertical keiretsu to a giant conglomerate with its assets spanning several continents.

What bottomed out the stomachs of the employees when they shared the same air with the purple-eyed wall of burning ice though was the knowledge that the first thing the young Hiwatari did as soon as he gained control of the business was wipe down almost the entire payroll, saving only a select few who could be counted on the fingers of one hand. He did not trust their former employer's workers and he had made it very clear during their interviews that loyalty and willingness to work hard were the two things he valued most. Isono, a raven haired midget with glasses, the head of the expo projects team, meekly cleared his throat before managing to raise his argument. "But Kai-sama, beyblade is a dead sport." Calling his boss by his first name only because he had explicitly demanded all of his workers to do the same – Kai preferred not to be addressed or referred to by the name he shared with his late grandfather Voltaire whenever it was possible. "The sport met its end two years ago when the Tokyo stadium was attacked."

"Isono, I am very aware of the history of the sport that I used to play." The dangerously chill tone caused sweat to trickle down the backs of the rest of the inmates of the room. Truth was, though Kai rarely fired anyone these days (he didn't need to, he'd handpicked the best team to bat for him), or intentionally threatened anyone in the current company anymore, he still managed to come off as intimidating by the simple fact of his manners. The man was a workaholic – pulled all-nighters at the office more times than he ate in a week, was always on his feet, always planning his next move, never stopped to smile or share a pleasant word with an acquaintance, had no known friends, girlfriends, wives or kids, barely human. Standing at six feet and one inch, Kai resembled a smooth, chiseled marble statue with his high cheekbones, angled jaw, almond eyes, slate grey suit and a matching head of hair – now that he'd stopped dyeing it – that somehow lay perfect on his head even after long hours of work.

"Beyblade _is_ a dead sport and we _will_ resurrect it at the expo."

"A last minute change of plans?" Matsuda, the head of the R&D department, piped up. "Kai-sama, we would never be able to pull it off in a decent manner and besides, we worked so hard to develop that VR technology. We worked on it for years!"

"Matsuda, save the whining and negativity for matters outside the concern of the company." Kai closed his eyes for a moment, in which the R&D employee flushed with embarrassment, before he spoke again. "We have sixty days to prepare for the event, that gives us fourteen hundred and forty hours. With that much time on our hands, we can campaign across cities all over the globe, hoard fans – both old and new, conduct a string of smaller battles between known players and bring back two of the most celebrated bladers over the years for the opening match on twenty second in New York."

Another hand rose. Minako, the chief designer at the H Industries, one of the few left who had been appointed by Voltaire, smiled before asking, "Two of the most celebrated bladers? You and Tyson Granger, Kai-sama? Are you going to compete again?" The smile stopped just short of turning sly.

Kai sent an obvious glare in the designer's direction, cautioning her slightly teasing expression into a poker face. Isono shifted in his seat in confusion, then made the situation worse by asking "We are organizing a tournament?" Everybody except Kai blanched. Some prayed for the roof to cave in.

The dreaded axe somehow failed to come down on their heads. Kai's tone still dripped acid. "I am not going to compete and I doubt Tyson Granger blades anymore. Yes, Isono, we are planning to hold a tournament and the players I anticipate to go head to head for the exhibition match on the opening night is Tala Valkov and Bryan Kuznetsov." He tapped the glass to bring up holographic images of the players before them. "I've already contacted them once and though there haven't been an actual confirmation of their respective participation, I've only received positive vibes from them on the subject."

"Kai-sama," called Isono. "Pardon my doubts, but I still don't understand how we're going to organize a whole tournament for a sport that is not even in existence anymore in just two months!"

Evidence of their lack of faith beginning to prick at his patience appeared in the form of a nasty smirk as the CEO regarded him. "In case you haven't noticed, this company faces no shortage when it comes to manpower, but as you so intelligently observed, the undertaking of such a mammoth task requires more time, a resource we do not have at the moment, and so, be very pleased when I tell you that we are not going to be working alone. In fact, we're taking on a partner for this mission: the Petronarch Corp."

Kai spread his hands and watched jaws drop around him in unison. The Petronarch? Seriously? Their age-old rivals as their partner for an exposition? How did that even make sense to Kai? The very point of taking part in a world exposition was to promote the Hiwatari Enterprises; scrub off the taint brought on by its former chairman's actions and boost the company's public image – convince the masses they were not the greedy conglomerate they'd once been. New and reformed and under the leadership of a much better man (in a way), the Hiwatari Enterprises was now a window to the glorious future. So why in the world would their biggest opponents help brush their manes? And why would Kai ask for their help when it had always been crystal clear that Kai fucking despised King?

Something felt horribly off. Kai had a saintly look on his face. It was when he donned the darned expression the nickname fit. Satan's Spawn.

They waited for him to give them an explanation as the temperature of the room fell further, beneath the zero mark. The sun dipped low beyond the horizon, casting shades of orange, pink and purple across the sky. The floor to ceiling windows framed a beautiful backdrop for Kai as he surveyed his employees silently. It had been a hectic day at the office today, they appeared tired and ready to head home. Kai simply felt no mercy.

"Right before the BBA dissolved two years ago, the H enterprises and the Petronarch were the only ones involved in the manufacture of beyblades. Two more years ago, we were not only suppliers, but sponsors as well, however small our contribution may have been." Kai placed his fingers on the table and leaned forward on them. "When the tragedy struck and the biggest names in the sport suffered losses along with thousands of other people, the very term beyblade began to trigger nightmares and panic attacks for those who had first-hand experience with the fire. The players gave up or were forced to give up their passion. The chairman of the BBA died in the attack and though an interim was elected, they couldn't keep the association from meeting its end barely three months later once the fans misdirected their anger at them. Then the sport died." Something akin to emotion flashed in his countenance for the first time since he had taken the reigns of the company, marking a significant moment in their corporate lives. "Now nobody wants to remember, but something as big cannot be forgotten no matter how much you wish to. The only way to overcome the pain is to fight back." Kai's voice stated he meant the words with all his heart. "Kill the evil in the world by keeping love alive. Beyblade was a sport the world was once passionate about. The players loved it. The fans loved it. I loved it. A thing as precious is worthy of being fought for. We will bring beyblade back. For those who died in the attack. For the ones trying to forget. For me. For you. And to show how much we are willing to commit to the cause, we will work together with one of our known competition, the Petronarch. Let the message be clear: when challenged by evil, we will join hands to fight for love."

By the end of his speech, his audience were staring at him in quiet reverence, with his determination mirrored in their faces. But just as soon as the thought formed that Kai might be a good man, he went and ruined it by saying, "Haruhi, make sure the video is played at the rest of the companies under the Hiwatari management and also to send it to the press." His secretary gave a quick nod and immediately turned to her computer to attend to the given task while her colleagues found their earlier fears resurfacing.

* * *

KAI

The people who worked for me believed I was some divine hero sent from heavens above. The ones who sat with me during board meetings thought of me as the Antichrist while my rivals considered me Satan himself, who had crawled out of hell to ruin their fun-filled corporate world where each tried to outdo the other through veiled cooperation.

Half of Japan worshipped me in some way while the other half constantly wished death upon me. I didn't blame them; where there had once been almost a dozen keiretsus controlling the Japanese industry, now there were only three and one of them wasn't even a proper keiretsu anymore and the snotty big fishes saw only one man to hate on. Megalomanic Voltaire's triply power-crazy grandchild Kai (They said the hunger increased along with the generation).

I gave exactly zero fucks.

If you were to ask around you'd hear stories about me one wilder than the previous. They were all wrong. My success had nothing to do with the devil or me selling my soul to him, I worked my ass off for years to get here and I had every right to be proud. I wasn't, though.

When asked during interviews for magazines about my motivation to strive harder everyday I lied it was my dead, workaholic father. What a noble answer. An insider would know that was a fib before it left my mouth. Reality was, familial motivation could only get you so far in this competitive world. To make it to the books of history you needed something a lot more powerful than that. And no, it was not the desire to prove them wrong; not even the thirst to achieve a lifelong dream. It was revenge.

Revenge was the fuel that kindled your fire by burning you from within. It ate at your heart. Your mind. Dominated your thoughts and strangled you in your sleep. I was reminded of my purpose every time I came home to this cold, desolate chunk of glass and wood they called modern art.

The metal briefcase hit the floor with a thud that echoed through the whole house. I could practically hear myself breathe as the door fell closed behind me. Tomorrow would mark the commencement of two long months of restless work, and so the office had let out early to give the employees a moment to breathe. Didn't want them complaining they were overworked.

An early night meant alone time with myself in this estate of solitude whose walls still smelt of paint. It was a three-bedroom, four-bath home overlooking the beautiful Tama river. High ceilings, sloping roofs, timber walls and fucking glass everywhere. There was nothing in here that remotely resembled a home. No warmth. No laughter. I bought myself hell for two point five billion yen. Oh the irony.

The more kind-hearted men I made business deals with sometimes recommended taking women home. Probably trying to play a fatherly figure for ten minutes, pitiful of my pathetic personal life. Not a bad idea actually, but I'd tried that. Didn't work out. Women you met in clubs were dumb more often than not and bedding your work contacts was never a smart move, so I stopped pretending to be a playboy just to keep my blankets warm.

I'd never thought I'd miss human company, but I did, and I fucking hated myself for being so weak. Yet that weakness was exactly what lent me strength to keep going. Gave a meaning to my life. I tapped the fishes swimming around in the purple tank. The fancy creatures reminded me of the cats I used to pet. One of them was lying dead at the bottom of the tank and I wondered why. The house staff who came in the morning and left in the afternoon made sure they were properly fed or at least I made sure to fucking pay them to make sure. "So why are you dead?"

I remembered the night I got the call. The day before the stadium went up in flames. Tyson's sleeping face on my pillow, arm thrown carelessly over my chest. It hurt to recall, yet I got a perverse satisfaction from revisiting that night, which was the best and worst of my life. The phone's ringing had startled me awake, the lights were on a second later. Tyson had not stirred. Hisoko had informed me in a quick, formal manner that my grandfather had passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest in the hotel room he was staying at in Paris and I'd gone hot and cold from the news. The surprise had been such that I couldn't respond for a whole minute till I finally forced myself to ask for further details. Hisoko hadn't much to tell me, his answer to most of the questions was 'We do not know yet'. Ten of those later, he'd smugly told me, after successfully pissing me off, to get ready, I was to leave for Paris right away. The call had cut with that and I'd sat staring at the lamp in a daze, then at Tyson for another minute or two. He'd slept unaware of the hole developing in my gut, leaving me to deal with the realization of being so completely bereft of blood relations in the world all alone. The feeling of isolation had begun that very moment and it was now a major part of my life, so much that it felt like an entity of its own.

I'd left without a goodbye kiss (Not that I was a fan of goodbyes). I'd left without a word (Not that I'd known how to face him after what had gone down between us earlier). I hadn't seen Tyson since. Didn't even know where he was. He'd gone off the radar, which was so unlike him, yet expected at the same time. He'd lost Bruce and Ryuu. I'd lost him. Although I'd probably lost him before the fire when I crossed that stupid fucking line. I regretted having done that like nothing else. It had been a terrible thing committed on the spur of the moment; blinded by anger. We'd been fighting and it had been ugly, but we were still okay, till I drew blood. He'd fallen asleep in my arms after, but only because he was too exhausted to think about his actions.

I thought I could still fix it. Fix us. But he'd been taken from me just like everybody else. Oh yeah, King had managed to do Voltaire in without anybody catching wind of it, except for me. King had been on the same mission as Voltaire in Paris, looking to convince Oliver's stuck-up millionaire father, Polanski to make an investment in their respective companies. My grandfather had been very excited about the whole matter yet somehow, that deal never took place and instead, King got Polanski to agree to a joint venture between the Petronarch and Télépolé. My naturally distrustful temperament had me digging deeper into the whole affair and discovering that at some point of the night both parties had been present at the same scene. They'd probably met. They'd probably poked and prodded at each other's easily ruffled feathers. And King had probably slipped something into his drink. Probably a shitload of aspirin. Voltaire had been taking them to avoid another heart attack like the one he'd experienced the year before. The overdose of aspirin had been listed as the trigger in his autopsy report, along with the statement on his unstable mental condition. I wasn't stupid enough to not put two and two together like the rest of them. They called him a maniac who'd killed himself out of anguish when he'd failed to get what he wanted. I knew the truth. Voltaire may had been many things, but suicidal had never been one of them.

Alistair King had taken my family and destroyed it out of senseless spite and jealousy. He'd begun torturing me almost right after I was born. Now I was nineteen and left with nothing to call mine except a machine-making company.

When the kids at school had to bring their mothers on Bring Your Parent to School Day and I'd had to tell them "my mother is dead" when they asked. It had been because of him. When I'd once visited a park and sat there in a swing, watching a boy play ball with his father, with tears rolling down my cheeks. Because of him. When I'd cried into my pillow with abandon, from all the pain the consecutive deaths of my parents and brother brought. Because of him. And then cried harder when nobody came to comfort me in that giant cavern of a house. Because of him. When I'd curled up into a ball from stomach cramps from not eating for several days. Because of him. When I'd had to perform dirty, heinous tasks to "become a man". Because of him. When I'd finally found a semblance of normalcy and had it snatched from me. Because of him. When I had to shoulder the burden of an entire keiretsu at the age of seventeen. Because of him. When I chose working through the night over going home. Because of him. When I gave up my dream for revenge. Because of him. When I broke my body trying to keep up with my own crazy expectations. Because of him. When I couldn't sleep undisturbed anymore. Because of him. When I had to leave Tyson behind without an explanation. Because of him. When I clutched the old phone under my pillow to remind myself warmth still existed in the world. Because of him. When I let my hand give in on the nights I missed Tyson too much. Because of him.

I would make him pay. Pay for every last painful thing I had to endure because of him.

* * *

Human beings were beautiful creatures. You could take a look at this mangled one right here – frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog and braying like a donkey – yet in possession of a certain level of loveliness other animals did not have in hand. The unfairness of this ugly universe manifesting itself once again.

That was fine by him. He liked ugly and unfair. A lot.

Squatting down, he held up the man's finger, the one with a ring wrapped around it. The small vent on the side of the dingy room let in enough light for him to make out his face. This was no one important. Just a bitch who had tried to sneak in to the House and steal shit. A clueless fool who was deeply regretting his poorly thought out decision to climb their walls at the moment. He was in the mood to have some fun. Time to create a fucking masterpiece.

As soon as he picked up the knife lying beside him on the dirty floor, there came two sounds. One, was the bitch mewling in agony (he'd liquefied his bones) and fear – he bared his front teeth at him – two, was a knock on the rusty, metal door. "What?!" he yelled at the closed door.

It opened and a figure appeared at the doorway, silhouetted against the yellow light behind them. "Blu?"

Fuck.

He tapped the pad of the knife against the floor as Uncle walked in, shutting the door with a hand. "And who is this lucky fellow?"

Blu regarded him from under his lashes for a second. "He was trespassing on our grounds earlier today."

Uncle's mouth curled. He was the acting boss, the stand in for Blu who would officially be pronounced Vor of the Solntsevskaya Bratva when he reached twenty-one. The Mogilevich family was one of the handful who were thoroughly involved in the Russian mafia and the most powerful in their midst. They were the heart of the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood, the careful structure hidden under the layers of loosely organized networks. But recently, as a result of the ongoing dispute between them and the Tambovskya bastards they'd been losing core members by the dozen, and the eldest of the last generation had married within the family to keep their numbers from falling dramatically. Blu's mother had been the first of his grandfather's production and she'd married her cousin Aleksei, who had exercised control over the mafia for all of ten years before getting slaughtered by the Tambov assholes. He was her first-born child. The direct heir to the dark throne. He should've been the one in charge, but for now, his uncle, Sergei, the youngest of his generation, was currently at the head of the organization.

"I know you want to be left alone with your evening pleasure," Uncle let out a laugh."But, before I leave you to it, there is something important you must know."

"What?" Blu growled.

"Somebody tipped off the Japanese police that-"

"The ones who like sticks a lot?"

"-Yes, somebody tipped them off that the perpetrators of the stadium attack two years ago was not some group of terrorists but the mafia."

"The fuck?" Blu rose to his feet. "Which mafia?"

"The Japanese obviously doubts the regional criminal organizations."

"And this is apparently a problem because..."

"Now the Yakuza is on our ass."

"Zaebis(1)" He turned away from his uncle, hands on his hips. "Nu ohuet teper.(2)" Two years ago, when Klara approached him with a job that had finally shown him a way out of this trap, it was the beginning arc of the turning point of his life. He'd found out the name of the person whose head he had to bring to the elite members of the Bratva to overthrow his uncle and gain power over the Bratva right away. Alistair King. Klara, who had been working with him, was clueless of King's past – or more accurately, his family's past. You see, the Brotherhood took matters of honour very seriously and a few generations ago, there had been one incident that stained the Mogilevich name to this very day. The first-born of his great-grandfather – who was the mane and pride of the Brotherhood, whose pictures hung on the walls of the House – had died in a stupid little bar fight. The man chosen by the stars to succeed the boss of bosses his great-grandfather, Yegor had been, had died in a fucking bar fight. It hadn't even been an honourable rival duel, but a fucking _bar fight_ he'd fought drunk off his ass while on a freewheeling trip in Europe. Blu could only imagine the kind of shame such a thing must have brought Yegor and his men at the time. It almost caused him pain when he thought about it. Almost. The family had been unable to find the dickhead who'd provoked him, and they'd tried. Oh, they'd tried.

The fucker would have had been fucking _ruined_ if they'd gotten their hands on him, but because of some luck he'd escaped unscathed. Escaped as in he was fucking dead now. Most of the King line had perished over the years except for the spiteful one. The Mogilevichs wanted revenge. Make some King fucking writhe in agony for the embarrassment they'd had to suffer and sometimes still suffered. All the more sweeter if the dickhead himself had been caught. Or at least a next of kin. They'd hunted for years in vain till Klara had, ever so casually, gifted Blu with the name they'd been searching for years. King was looking for someone to do his dirty job for him and Klara had been trying to be clever when she dropped by Blu's usual haunt. Blu, ever the suspicious one, ran a thorough search every time before taking on any clients from the outside and the practice finally did him good when he found out the slick mogul had had one huge troublemaker of a brother, the very dickhead who'd cut down their then golden heir.

Blu loved playing games with his prey before finally getting around to them in person. Gave them nightmares for months just because it gave him immense pleasure to watch them get more paranoid with each passing second. Mental torture for months, physical torture for weeks, was how he usually operated, but Blu had something special in store for King. And the Bratva would love it. And then crown him because there was no better way to thank him.

King had made a request for a slightly alarming security breach, but Blu had to send a message that he was onto him. To watch his back. Play carefully now. He was a target of a powerful enemy. And so he'd brought down the entire stadium, planted no more than sixteen bullets in the BBA chairman and pissed off a major portion of the Brotherhood's elite, all to send a message. He would stop at nothing to get his revenge.

So, while the rest of the world thought a group of terrorists were responsible for the Spectacle Arena Tragedy, King had been busy absorbing a newly realized fact – the Russian Mafia was out for his blood. Why? No clue. Get paranoid now.

Or act smart.

King was not new to this game. He'd dealt with dirty mafia bosses before. He knew two could play this game. And so, he'd tipped off the Japanese police it had been the work of the mafia without mentioning which, well aware of the fact that their Japanese counterparts would be outraged. They'd crossed some major lines. Tokyo was strictly Yakuza territory and also, they'd been smooching up to the government for a while, all of their efforts had been thrown out the window now.

How'd the Yakuza know it had been them though? Blu asked.

"How do they come to know anything?" Sergei thew back at him. "They're good at what they do, Blu."

"We are fucked."

"No, we're not."

"Oh?"

"We have you."

"Oh?"

"You do what _you're_ good at and fix this." Uncle smirked.

"I don't have a choice."

"It's your mess."

Wheels were beginning to turn in Blu's head when Uncle abandoned his cool disposition and walked up to him. "Don't even think about slithering your way out of this, you little piss. You've been a real pest to the Bratva for a long time now, that completely out of the line attack on the stadium was the last straw. You will sort this shit out on your own."

"You mean I've been a real pest to you." Blu smiled his ugly smile, irking his boss. "A thorn in your side."

"Don't tempt me, Blu."

"What will you do? They're starting to like me."

Uncle grabbed his chin and pulled his face down so Blu met his eyes. "You know fuck well what I'll do." Blu felt his blood boil. His uncle was a damn thirty-year-old fruit. The nasty scum had put his hands where they didn't belong. Blu let his knife poke against his uncle's belly through his white shirt. "Put the knife away, boy. You don't scare me."

"I could cut you." Blu spat in his face. He earned a slap in his own for that. Sergei had let go to wipe the spit off with a hand.

"I am not touching this."

"Like always," Blu muttered.

"What was that?" Uncle stepped close again. Blu refused to back away.

"I need your men," he said instead. Sergei was fucking untouchable as long as he was Vor of the Bratva. This was why he needed to find King, so that he could finally be free to put a bullet in his uncle's nut.

"They're yours" Sergei's fingers brushed the side of Blu's jaw. "Be a good boy now. Your mother left you in my care. Don't you want to make her proud?"

"Like I give a fuck," said Blu, hands shaking from the urge to gut Sergei to pieces.

Uncle laughed. He closed his eyes.

"Don't close your eyes, Blu. They're your best feature. So full of hatred. Let me see those beautiful cerulean blues." Blu opened them to glare at Sergei, promising murder.

"There we go," Uncle chuckled. "So you do know how to take orders." He pressed a rough kiss on his nephew's mouth and pushed him away. "Don't make me angry, Blu. Do your job."

The door closed behind him and Blu looked down at his bloody hands. He'd been clutching the sharp end of the blade in his fist. It took everything to hold himself back from hurting his uncle. From tearing that door open and chasing him down the fucking hall.

Violent thoughts were running through his head when the sound of the near unconscious man stirring interrupted him. He felt animosity surge inside of him. Blu swung a foot over the man's legs to plant his feet on both sides of him. He envisioned his victim wearing his uncle's clothes, his rings, his boots, and his disgustingly handsome face. Blu let a smile grace his profile before gripping the knife with both hands and raising it high above his head.

* * *

Yegor's son's hot-headed attitude was not the only thing that'd given them a bad name. Yegor had a daughter. The bright, shining, ever-so reliable Helena, who had been marked with greatness upon her very birth. The one who'd questioned their morals; caused them to question their own. Those who had been around her always knew deep down she was too good to be a woman of the Bratva. Her ideas, though brilliant, had been too plain. Her judgments too just.

And though they never truly thought she'd betray the Brotherhood, they weren't all that surprised either when she ran away at sixteen. The Mogilevichs had hunted very nook and cranny for Helena, and never found her. Proving once again, she'd been too smart for the Bratva.

After years of searching, unable to find a single trace of her, they'd written her off as dead. But, two years ago, on the night of the attack, Blu had stumbled upon a boy with the original seal of the Bratva hanging off his neck. The only way a person could've gotten hold of that necklace would have been either if he'd pried it off the very breast of an elite member of the Bratva, or if a member of the family had given it to him. The necklace was worn only by those who were closely bound to the Vor. There were only ten of them in total.

Blu had been having the time of his life when the boy had run across the lot to help his friends. He fucking despised heroes, and little runts acting like them, ticked him off even more. It reminded him of when, as a kid, he'd stood up against his uncle for his mother. That had not ended well. At all.

He'd been _this_ close to killing the boy when the necklace had slipped out – the back of the eight-pointed star glinting up at him had hit him like a whiplash. The missing heir of the Bratva? Where would that put him? If Helena's grandchild entered the scene, Blu would be fucking dethroned. His grandfather had been the youngest of Yegor's children. The third one. The one who'd saved the family from utter disgrace. And the thought, that there was no way Blu could be replaced, that Helena had left everything behind when she'd run away, and with that, her position in the family, had not entered his head then. He wanted to squash the little pig with his bare hands, but curiosity had somehow gotten the better of him and he'd asked: Where did you get the necklace from?

And the boy had said his grandmother had given it to him, like a scene straight out of a nightmare. Blu still marveled at the mammoth restraint he'd exercised upon himself in letting the boy go without leaving more than a scratch on his body. Fucking phenomenal. Because he'd been unsure of what to do with the potential heir if it really were him. He might be a monster, but he was a sensible monster. Unlike his brothers, he used his brain (Another reason why he should be the head of the organization). He'd let him go because he needed to think, and also, find out a little more about the boy.

And right after he'd gotten to his hideout that night, he'd pulled out his laptop and set to work. Blu had found out a few things about him. His name was Tyson Granger, now eighteen years old, was a huge sensation in the sport of Beyblade (Three-time world champion. Would've made it four if Blu hadn't fucked it all up), was apparently a stupid little fuck when it came to everything else, had lots of friends and his grandmother was not and had never been, a woman of the Bratva. He'd lied. The fucker had lied to Blu. The very nerve. Quite impressive actually, because that had been the first time a fucker had lied to protect someone while looking death (Blu) in the eye. So, he was probably one of the goody-goodys. He hated that lot. Really. And he had the smug face to go along with the hero complex as well. Abhorrent.

So, which one of his friends had he been trying to protect and more importantly, was he still trying to protect them? Blu had been stalking Granger for over two years now and one thing had been becoming more and more painfully obvious. Blu grimaced at the screen as he watched Tyson Granger down another shot of vodka.

* * *

"I don't..." Tyson was interrupted by his own giggle. "I don't think it's hitting me anymore." He collapsed against Michael on the couch, who shoved him off his lap. "I'm immune to it."

"Dude" Michael Summers watched Tyson tiredly laugh, a halfway empty glass in hand, his hair falling in his face. "You are so gone." The party thrived around them, the heat from all the bodies crammed into the room making them sweat, the music loud enough to drown out their thoughts, the beat sick enough to keep them happily intoxicated. They'd been going for four hours, and they were going to keep going for another four.

"Guess what happened last night?" Eddy asked.

"What?"

Tyson rested his head on Eddy's shoulder and set one foot upon Michael's knee and sighed, smoke drifting up from his mouth. He listened to the guys talk, his pupils dilating, eyelids fluttering with sleep. "So there's this chick in my lit class," Eddy's shoulder moved under his head as he made gestures with his hands. "I can't remember her name, but like, she hates us frat boys so much, especially us Pike boys."

"Rhonda?"

"Yeah! That's her name. The one with the glasses?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She said last night, that we cheated at last year's Greek games."

"What the fuck?"

"I know right? Jackson got so mad, he went ape shit on her."

"Jackson can't handle shit."

"Anyway, we got so into it-"

"Into what?"

"Dude, I just told you."

Michael sniffed and shook his head. "Naw, man, don' remember."

"The fuck?" Eddy jerked around, a hand braced against Tyson to keep his skull from falling off its berth as he did so to look at Michael in amazement. "Swear to God, man, you have the memory of a chihuahua."

"Chihuahuas have great memory, you ass." Michael took another swig from the bottle hanging off his fingers. A burp escaped his mouth and he burst out laughing at its sound. Tyson made love to the ceiling with his eyes, tongue caught between his lips. He enjoyed the way his mind spun faster when Eddy's body shook with laughter under him.

Someone let out a whoop from the other side of the room and they all turned their heads to look. They were at one of the illest frat parties thrown by the alphas of NYU. The very best parties you will ever attend in your life were thrown by the Pi Kappa Alpha and Tyson had but all good things to say about this house. Tyson loved this house. He just loved it. Period.

He got in before he even set foot on campus. (No, really!) How'd he manage to get in? Because he's Tyson Granger for fuck's sake. VIP and all that. What, did you the think the most athletic frat on campus wouldn't recruit Tyson Granger? Bitch, they came and fucking begged him to join. No joke.

Lions rolled with lions and Tyson was fucking king on campus, though right now, he felt more like, a close second to the king. What? The pool game! Right! That was why they were whooping. Kui over there was beginning to look like a total snack and Tyson was getting really turned on. May be he should go and ...pee. Yeah, he should go pee. He really needed to go at the moment. "Excuse me, Mike? I'll be right back."

He stared at his legs really hard as they danced in front of him. What were his legs doing? The flutterwacken? Jesus Christ. He needed a drink. Nope, he needed to pee. Bathroom, he was coming your way. Tyson stood up really fast and the room tilted around him. He grit his teeth as the liquor sloshed in his stomach or may be in his mind. He didn't know. He was feeling sick now. And before he knew it, he was face down on the floor and the carpet smelled something really nasty. Ew. Man, it stank worse than Michael after baseball practice. Dear Mike was talking. "Why are you sniffing my shoe?"

"Dude, it' the carpe'" Tyson mumbled.

"What?!" Mike fell over laughing and Eddy sounded like some sort of a whale snorting.

"He knows one syllable." Oooh, that was a silky voice. Who was thaaaat? Tyson's nose was still buried in the fine, reeking fibres so he couldn't see. Wait, you use your eyes to see. Not your nose. So why couldn't he see? May be he was going blind? Oh shit! They did say the Big H was bad for his health. Yeah, fuck H. No, fuck them for saying it, because he was all paranoid now. It was all in his head. H was good. The White Lady was the love of his life. I love you, Heroin. Heroine? Girl? He was gay! He didn't like girls. No, he did like girls. They were...nice.

He was not gay.

He was Tyson. Or was he? He didn't know anymore and he was going to pee on their fucking posh carpet that already smelled like piss. Somebody was lifting him up. Oh thank you. Thank you, whoever you are. "What are you doing on the floor, Tyson?" It was silky voice! I love your voice...

I want to make love to your voice. Tyson giggled and then stopped because Silky Voice looked a little startled. He had a nice face too. But the face was startled now because he must have said it out loud. Oh dang it! Or may be this was a good thing. He probably should say it again. Yeah... "I want to make love to your voice.." He slurred a little but that was still okay. Silky Voice looked impressed. Yes! He was getting laid tonight. Oh. He felt weird. Like, there was something he had to do. Something important. Silky Voice would have to wait.

Tyson pat his nice face and steered himself carefully over to the bathroom. The people fucking leaked bad body odour. He wanted to yell at them to go take a shower or may be five showers. Eeesh. Tyson banged the door shut behind him and inhaled. Then let out a sigh. It was much quieter here. He liked it here. May be he'd stay here for a little while. Sounded like a good idea. Genius. He was such a genius.

Oh

Somebody was manhandling his pants. Get away from my... He still couldn't see. Because his eyes were closed. He had to open them. Opening them...Oh it was a girl! What is she doing here? What is she doing to him? "This is the gents bathroom," he told her clearly, and was immediately proud of himself for being so articulate. He could enunciate. Gosh. The girl had her hands on his zipper. She'd been on her knees. She stood up. Pink hair. He liked that. Nice, Pink Hair.

"Is it?" she asked him, biting her lip. "I didn't know. I'm sorry." She snaked a hand in and Tyson gasped. "Do you want me to leave?"

Tyson's mouth fell open and she laughed at his helplessness as he shook his head no. In such a pathetic fashion. She was so good. So good. Her mouth came down on his and he forgot about his surroundings. Not that he'd been aware of them in the first place...

A knock. Go away, he was having a good time. Please, go away. Go away, you asshole! The buzzkill kept knocking and Tyson reluctantly pushed the girl away. He held up a finger when she looked disappointed. "Just a sec," he mouthed before opening the door. It was Michael.

"Mike!" Tyson hissed. "Fuck off!"

"I'm sorry, but there's some weird guy out there asking for you."

"Who? Where?" Tyson blinked his eyes to clear the fogginess in his mind as the pink-haired girl nibbled at his ear. He bit down on his lip in impatience while waiting for Mike to answer. "I don't know. He's out on the front porch. He said it was important and that you called him here."

"I didn't call anybody..." Tyson was saying when something in his pocket pressed against his thigh. He looked down and remembered. The necklace.

And then he wanted to puke and pee all at the same time. So he did that. And once he was done, he brushed a kiss on the pink-haired girl's cheek and left her to do her thing in the gents toilet. On his way out of the house, he grabbed two lemon halves that had been lying on the beer table and squeezed their juice down his throat. The incredible sourness sobered him up enough to not glare in welcome at the wiry guy standing at the foot of the steps to the Pi Kappa Alpha house. He tried a wry smile as he climbed down the steps.

The guy, JB, had a feverish look on his face. His eyes kept shifting around in their sockets like he was afraid somebody might jump out of the bushes any moment and whack him dead. He had his hands in his pockets and looked Tyson up and down about ten times before coming really close and speaking to him in hushed and hurried tones. "Come with me quick. We don't have a lot of time."

"Your guy is here?"

"Yes," JB turned his head to look behind him for a second, before whipping around and saying, "but he won't be here for long. Let's go."

Tyson knew JB from wandering through dark alleys when he and Hiro first got to New York. All the pain that constantly ate away at him had him itching to inflict that pain upon someone else. Find the guy who'd murdered his family and friends. Find the guy and make him pay. JB hung out with the shadows of NY city and he'd watched Tyson for months before finally approaching him one day. They'd talked. JB had helped him with the pain. At least showed him a way to escape from it for a few hours.

Tyson didn't feel like himself anymore. He hadn't felt like himself ever since that night at the stadium. But when he was high or partying, he felt...better. A lot better than he was sober. Sober he couldn't go six seconds without plotting revenge. And he'd been asking around the shadows if they knew what the eight-pointed star meant. The pretty thing gave him nightmares and he had to seek for drugs when he started thinking about ending his life. Beyblade was a word he did not have in his dictionary anymore. Nothing gave him comfort. Except for Smack. Smack gave him momentary comfort.

He liked to think of himself as a conscious addict. He knew he could clean up his act if he wanted to, but he chose to keep himself intoxicated as long as his father's killer was on the loose. He would not die before that man paid for his sins and he wanted to personally make sure that he did. JB had a lot of shady contacts. He was his dealer as well as his go-to man when it came to exacting vengeance for the death of his loved ones. JB couldn't help him a lot in the latter case though. But a few days ago, JB turned up at his dorm room in the middle of the night to tell him that a certain figure would soon be haunting NY's alleys and said figure had a lot of underworld connections. Tyson didn't know about "underworld connections", but he was willing to give anybody and anything a go. Who knew? May be this man could help him identify whom the chain belonged to.

Tyson texted Mike that he had an errand to run and will be back soon, as he walked alongside JB. He pulled up the hood of his jacket as they made it past campus grounds and began navigating through the deep networks that wound around the city. JB was super fast, his steps were light and quick and Tyson had to pick up his pace every now and then to keep up with him. He knew the way around these buildings well in the dark by now, that was how long he'd spent sneaking along the dangerous parts of NY.

JB took so many turns Tyson sort of lost track of where he was going. He could operate while he was higher than a pothead on the moon, but he performed best when he was somewhere in between sober and high. Safe to say, he wasn't doing that well tonight, and JB was taking advantage of it. Tyson and JB were not friends. They were mere acquaintances who shared their pain with each other sometimes. They understood each other on a certain significant level though and that was enough for both of them.

After what seemed like hours, Tyson had successfully managed to lose track of where they were going when they finally reached their destination. A door that had seen better days stood in front of him and JB pushed it open for him. Tyson stepped through it first and shivered from the sudden cold. They descended down a flight of rickety stairs and went through another red door with two menacing men standing on guard outside it. The minute Tyson's foot crossed the threshold, his nostrils were invaded by the smell of strawberry flavored tobacco. He wrapped the end of a shirt sleeve around his nose. The room was dimly lit by yellow lamps, the walls covered with tapestry, the air foggy with smoke.

They entered a hall and Tyson halted. A man in a white tailored suit sat in the middle of the room waiting for them, five of his men lurking in the corners, watching them. He looked around forty with a wide nose and mouth, a scar marred one side of his face – from his bushy eyebrows, cutting through his mouth, to his chin – like somebody had slashed his face with a knife, his smile was crooked and he had a gap between his two front teeth. A hookah stood beside him on the floor – he drew from it, appraising Tyson as he did so. He squinted and asked in a deep voice, "Are you dumb?"

Tyson jumped, taken off guard by the sudden sound in the quietness. "No"

"Then why are you standing and staring at me like you forgot how to speak?" He spoke in a manner that made Tyson feel like he'd known him since birth. Like an uncle. Who was constantly mad at you.

"Sorry, I uh I wanted to ask you something."

"You're not going to offer me your name?"

"Should I?" Tyson felt unhinged.

"No" He waved a dismissive hand and sucked on the pipe. "I already know your name," he said, smoke escaping through his mouth and enveloping him.

Tyson glanced at JB, whose poker face betrayed nothing, but Tyson suspected JB for ruining the anonymity anyway. "What's _your_ name then? If you know mine, I have the right to know yours."

"Call me RM" he said after a beat had passed. "Now ask, boy, I don't have a lot of time."

Tyson, despite his doubts and uncertainty, slipped a hand into his pocket to palm the chain. He brought out a fist and walked up to the man. "Do you know what this is?" He opened his fist to reveal the star. RM went still, eyeing the chain, then slowly raised his gaze to Tyson's face. He reached for it and Tyson let him take it from him.

The man held it up to the light, examining the smooth back of the star. Tyson held his breath as time ticked by, something about the way RM stared at the star told him that he knew what it was and that it was making him sweat. JB came closer as RM lightly scratched the surface of the gold and held it up to the light again. A panicked look flashed in his eyes and Tyson demanded, "Do you know who it belongs to?"

RM stood up all of a sudden, knocking the chair back, and his men around them tensed. He grabbed Tyson by his collar and jerked him forward. "Where did you get this from?" he asked furiously.

"Somebody gave it to me."

"Gave it to you? Are you fucking kidding me? Do I look that stupid to you?" RM shouted in his face.

"I swear, I'm not lying!" Tyson tried to remove the man's fingers from him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Now, you listen to me very closely, Tyson Granger," His hookah-mingled breath washed over Tyson as he spoke in frenzied tones. "This" He referred to the chain. "This is no fucking joke. Wherever you stole it from, whomever you stole it from, you return it right now. You understand?"

"No! I didn't steal it. A friend gave it to me." Tyson snatched the star back from him and RM looked at him incredulously.

"Which friend? What friend? What are you saying, boy? Do you even know what you are saying?"

"What am I saying?" Tyson asked, confused.

RM rubbed a hand over his face and took a few deep breaths. He calmly analyzed Tyson for two whole minutes before asking, "Do you have friends in the Russian mafia?"

* * *

A/N: YES. I KNOW. Actually, I don't know. And that is great. I wanted to write it. I wrote it. Period.

(1) Fucking great

(2) Okay, we are fucked


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, this shit needs to be edited. I will do that later and update the chapter. I am tired af at the moment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Tell you a secret,

I'm not alarmed

So what if I'm crazy?

The best people are

 **Melanie Martinez**

"Mornin', Emily" Michael offered the ginger-haired girl a lazy smile as she pulled up a chair next to Tyson, dropping her books on the table with an emphatic sigh. "Missed your face," Michael drawled, chin propped up on his hand.

"Good morning, Mikey," Emily greeted in a high-pitched, chirpy voice that was way too enthusiastic for six-thirty in the morning. "Tyson!" Her eyes went wide behind her glasses, like she was witnessing some sort of a happens-once-in-a-millenium phenomenon, as she took in the dark and gloomy figure slumped in the seat next to her. "Didn't expect to see you at Think Coffee so early in the morning."

"Yeah, me neither," he croaked out from underneath his large black hoodie, a cup of coffee steaming in his right hand. Think Coffee was where he and Mike usually hung out during exams time. It was a fairly decent place. Less population, more ventilation, cute baristas. Yeah, they liked the place enough, and so did Emily, which explained why they all kept bumping into each other at the cafe when the students' heads transformed into pressure cookers, but not this scenario. This was random and weird and the absurdity could be seen through Emily's wacky expression.

Mike was kind enough to tell her why they were here as Tyson seemed to be stuck somewhere in between half-asleep and doubting-his-existence. "Professor Dickstick made morning classes mandatory because he spent the entire semester dozing his fat ass of until his prissy girlfriend next door talked some sense into him last weekend and made him realize that we're half a syllabus behind on schedule and we only got like four weeks of classes left."

Emily looked outraged. "And you guys didn't report him?"

"Michael's math may be a bit off," Tyson said in a low husky voice, squinting into his cup. "But yeah" He shot her a glance with his red-rimmed eyes, nodding, blind towards her clear incredulity. "That's...the reason..." He finished the rest of the sentence with nods, gazing thoughtfully at his barely drank coffee.

"Also, _he_ can't sleep." Michael gestured to Tyson with a finger.

"Running on fumes…," Tyson sing-songed, feeling sorry for himself.

" _Why_ " Emily raised her voice, drawing out the word, to bring their attention towards her question. "Didn't you guys report him and-" She snatched the cup out of Tyson's loose grip and gulped some down before putting it back down in front of a disgusted Tyson and continuing. "-I don't like it when you guys cut me off while I'm speaking."

"We already did, it's of no use," Michael said, the same time Tyson got irked and cursed. "Don't get your fucking germs on my drink, go get one for yourself!"

"Looking much livelier now!" Emily remarked, clapping her hands. "You should thank me. Besides, you were letting it go cold."

"I like mine cold," Tyson countered, palming his drink possessively.

"You're creepy"

"And you're getting on my nerves."

"What'll you do, Granger?" she challenged.

They were _this_ close, noses almost touching. Tyson thought for a moment before sighing in defeat and falling back into his chair.

Emily observed him from behind her glasses, taking note of his sunken cheeks and dull, bloodshot eyes. "You need to get more sleep."

"Yes, ma'am." Tyson sniffed. "Gonna buy me some as soon as it's lunch."

Michael snorted, tapping away on his phone. Emily rolled her eyes. "You look like a fucking ghost, Tyson," she commented to try and get him to show positive signs of health, but received a small half-smile full of self-mockery in response and nothing more. Honestly, she was less disappointed about the lame comeback and more concerned about the reason for his lame comeback.

"When you think about it that could actually be a compliment," she prodded again, hopes failing, panic rising. Tyson barely cared to respond, abandoning his coffee and fully giving into his exhaustion and resting his head on the table. Emily bit her lip. What could possibly be keeping Tyson up at night? What could be troubling him so much?

The change in him was disturbingly unsettling sometimes, to the point it made her optimistic self fear what was to come.

Tyson Granger, who loved to sleep. Tyson Granger, who couldn't sleep anymore.

Emily was gently combing her fingers through Tyson's hair when Michael let out a quiet and extremely heartfelt "fuck". She looked up to find him staring open-mouthed at his phone. "What is it?" she inquired.

Mike's alarmed eyes met hers for a brief moment in which he sought for her assistance before flitting away to settle on Tyson's disheveled head. "Um, Ty?"

There was a muffled "what?" from Tyson, but Mike waited to break the news till he pulled himself upright and read his expression.

"You might wanna see this." Michael handed the phone over and Tyson took it gingerly, bracing himself for something related to his little 'drug problem' as he stared into the screen. The photo he was looking at didn't make sense to him at first, but then shit sunk into his brain and he dropped the phone on the table like it had burned his fingers.

Emily snatched the device up and gaped at it for all of twenty seconds before carefully putting it down, shocked out of her mind. Tyson sat and shook his head, tried to come up with an explanation and reached for the photo again when he failed to do so.

The image.

The image of himself and Kai kissing up against a wall that somebody had somehow managed to capture in secret and had been keeping safe for all this time till they decided to release it now.

"It's all over the internet," Michael was saying. "The whole campus is tweeting about it and it's only six-fucking-forty-five in the a.m."

Tyson scrolled down the page, quickly reading and going past various posts with photos of himself and his ex-rival all wrapped up in each others arms either while grinning like fools or making out. The images themselves didn't bother him much once the initial shock over being outed wore off, but what the people were saying about them tore at his heart.

" _Fuck this world, our Champ got broken by that attack in more ways than could be called cruel!"_

" _What? This happened during the championships and we didn't know?! They were so darn adorable! Poor Ty, why aren't they together anymore?"_ Followed by five crying emojis.

" _You mean Tyson Granger didn't just lose his parent and guardian and his friends but also his LOVER? Nobody deserves this kind of shit. Whatever God wrote down his fate, needs to rewrite it now!"_

" _Two of my biggest stars were in love and they got separated as a result of the horror attack that took place in Tokyo. This is way too sad. They were so close, it was beautiful."_

There were some over-the-top and far-fetched comments about the lgbtq community and the attack being a hate crime aimed at them, and there were also the usual snarky ones related to their sexuality like _"Kai Hiwatari is gay?! Oh my fucking god!"_ , _"Things just took a turn for the wild! Know what I mean?"_ , _"All the ladies across the globe are upset right now."_

It was both sad and funny at the same time how everybody sympathized with Tyson while barely giving a fuck about Kai's feelings. "May be they already know he doesn't have any," Tyson muttered to himself.

Emily wrung her hands in her lap, looking around them. The rest of the customers in the cafe were also from their uni, and a few of them seemed to have noticed the presence of the day's newsmaker in the room, gesturing towards him and whispering among themselves. "When did this happen and why is it coming out now?" she turned back to her friends, brows furrowed.

"I have _no_ fucking idea," replied Michael, lifting his cap for a second to brush his hair back from his forehead and tuck it under. He surveyed the shop before letting out another well drawn-out "fuck", eyes on somebody coming in through the front door.

"Is that Max?" Emily asked, appraising the bespectacled blonde walking alongside a group of teenagers from the engineering department.

"That is some perfect timing. I feel like I'm watching some sort of a TV show right now." Michael groaned.

And as though he heard his name being said out loud, Max turned to lock eyes with Tyson for a very uncomfortable second filled with radio silence before breaking the eye contact and sitting down with his crowd at a table set on the far side of the room. Max Tate had come to the United States, accompanied by his best friend Tyson Granger and his brother Hiro because his mother decided after the incident at the stadium that Japan was unsafe for her child and he must relocate to America where she could look after him. Max, who was having a hard time getting his love for beyblade back, was encouraged by Judy to go to school, preferably where the rest of his former teammates were pursuing their academic degrees. It had all begun out very nicely, Tyson and Max were going to continue their friendship through college, holding onto it, despite Max being an engineering major and Tyson being an I-don't-have-one major, and their dorms being literally miles apart from one other. But then things started to get rocky when Tyson met JB and coke and the oh-so-supportive Pike fellas. Max, happening to be a good boy to the very core of his heart, tried to get Tyson to stop, and failed, and when he did, it blew up in his face in the form of a nasty fight with a very high and irritable Tyson, who had stormed off from Max's room in a fury to never return. And God knows if they had shared an awkward smile a week later because Tyson honestly didn't, and they hadn't talked since then because Tyson could be a real petty bitch when he wanted to. Yes, he was addicted, but it wasn't forever and yes, he and Max were not best friends anymore, but that was not forever either. He would get Max back because Max was Max (and his new glasses were cute), but it won't be anytime soon because he still liked his smack and had a mafia man to hunt down.

Tyson had seen the concern in Max's quick glance towards him, telling him that he knew about the pictures on the internet. He was currently sober, but where things seemed to be headed at the moment ensured he wouldn't be for long. He could practically _feel_ their gazes on him, pitying him, always _pitying_ him. Tyson rubbed a hand across the nape of his neck, massaging it, hoping to relieve some of the tension accumulated there.

"Beyblade" He heard Kai say, and knocked his cup of coffee over in surprise, eyes darting around the shop, over the students gathered there, talking and studying in groups. His heart attack didn't last for long as he realized that the voice was coming from the television screen on the wall across from him. It had been muted on the news channel, one of the waiters had suddenly turned the volume up.

"Ah, the omnipresent Hiwatari is on the LED," Michael said, in a way of explaining to himself why Tyson had started, as he watched Emily help Tyson mop some of the brown liquid off his shirt. Tyson pushed Emily's hands away, dabbed at the dark spot a little more and set the tissue aside, all the while keeping his eyes (not intentionally) on the TV. His mouth made a small 'O' shape as he listened to Kai speak in Japanese, his words overlaid by the translator's.

"Bringing Beyblade back?" Michael thought aloud. "How's he going to do that?" He shot Tyson a look, like he'd suddenly come across an idea, but found that it was not returned as his roommate's full attention was owned by the same man who owned the coffee grains in their cups. Tyson watched Kai shoot a fake smile at the camera and make an impossible announcement: the Hiwatari enterprises would be joining hands with the Petronarch Corp for the resurrection of the sport of Beyblade.

Every time he went sober...shit happened.

Tyson scooted back from the table, standing up and pulling his hood down low over his face. "Later" he said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, searching for his stash as he left the cafe. Michael and Emily stared at the closed glass door for a moment, then turned around to face each other, their thoughts mirroring one another. Max made a move like he was going to go after Tyson, but remained in his seat, chewing on his lip.

* * *

Security had gotten tighter since the last time he'd landed at JFK. Blu fought hard to keep the jitteriness he felt from showing on his face, which was currently out in public, free of any sort of makeup or mask. Proof his skin had never seen sunlight was in its paleness, the absence of colour making his eyes stand out like blue marbles on an otherwise empty white dish. Long blonde hair tucked out of sight under a black beanie, dressed in casual jeans, a holdall hanging off his fingers, Blu really was trying to blend in with the crowd, but there was nothing he could do about his height or his shoulders. He was a beast of a man and people fucking noticed when he moved.

Blu rarely showed his face in public, he had one too many men out looking for him to walk around like normal people. He usually used the family's privately owned jet to travel for missions, but this time he was working on his own. He didn't want anybody to know he was after the "missing child of the Bratva" to see if he could find allies outside the social circles of the brotherhood.

A strong ally he could use to bring his uncle down. What made him believe his cousin would actually be a man of integrity was simply his trust in the Mogilevich blood. Placing your bets on a grandchild of clever Helena could never be a bad move. Besides, what did he have to lose if he was wrong anyway? He'd always been fighting alone against Uncle and his nasty mind.

He was doing this simply because he wanted to see Sergei writhing in his hands. Win or lose, he was going to lose either way. He'd lost the moment he was born a Mogilevich, which meant he probably shouldn't be this bothered about people staring at his naked face, but oh fuck, he'd been sneaking in the dark for way too long to get his heart to listen to his mind. Blu distracted himself by imagining Tyson's pretty little throat secured in his grasp as an airport staff checked his fake passport at the immigration counter.

The sharp bob framed her cheeks perfectly as she looked up with a bright smile at Blu, welcoming him to New York. Blu narrowed his eyes at her and her smile withered into a pout as she handed him his passport back. He knew he was giving off killer vibes and if he didn't tone it down he was going to end up in a jail for creeping out the innocent citizens of USA.

* * *

Blu entered the night club and immediately found himself overwhelmed. Simply put, night clubs were not one of the things he was comfortable with. He navigated through the sea of people dancing and sweating around him, pushing hands and other body parts away as they reached for him. The dim lighting was not a problem for Blu as he searched for Tyson. He knew he was here. He'd followed him in.

Poor Tyson, he had a shitty life, or so the ungrateful brat thought, drinking his woes away at a bar. After years of watching the kid intoxicate himself on a screen, it was something of an experience to see it up close in real life. Right in front of him. Blu's gaze traced the line of Tyson's neck as he threw his head back, a glass held against his lips.

Fascinating

Tyson's silky black hair, which was short at the back and long in front, fell forward to shield his eyes from view as he slammed the glass back down on the counter, shoulders hunching, fingers trembling. Was he crying?

"Wow" commented Blu, drawing Tyson's attention to him. A small twinge of alarm went through him as Tyson's dry gaze found his. There was no danger here and he had no reason to be on edge, but he was and as though fate decided to play with him, Tyson's hand went up to his collar, where the necklace was, as soon as he saw him. Blu nearly cursed in the boy's amused mug, catching himself just in time.

Tyson's lips curved into a coy smile and Blu judged him as he proceeded to subtly check him out. "What's so surprising?" asked Tyson, running his tongue along his lip, fingertips somehow still resting on the chain. "See something interesting?"

If Blu was going to get this boy to leave the club with him, he needed to present an amiable and harmless character for Tyson and by the way he was currently leaning towards him, he could tell the kid liked whatever he saw when he'd let his eyes wander along Blu a moment ago.

Fuck this. He'd never done this sort of thing before, but he was going to give it his best shot and if it didn't go according to plan, he was ready to bodily drag Tyson out of there. Boy appeared drunk enough to stupidly let himself be dragged into the street anyway.

Blu let out a small sigh and went for it. "Can't say no." He winced slightly when his accent slipped out.

"You're not from here, are you?" Tyson teased, brown eyes twinkling.

"Neither are you."

"No" Tyson laughed, looking away, abandoning the star to play with his drink. "What's your name?" The blue lights overhead made his dark hair shimmer.

Blu hesitated before answering. "Isaac".

"Liar" He met his gaze.

Fuck

How did he know? "I'm not"

"I don't care." Hands were pulling him in and in the next second, Tyson's mouth was against his. Blu wanted to make a face. That hadn't been hard. Applause.

His eyes remained open and when he looked up at Tyson's, he was startled to find them staring back. Blu broke the kiss in a haste, cussing in his head. What was it with this kid? He was running out of patience.

"What?" Tyson asked, laughter in his voice.

"I just-" Blu brought up a thumb to lightly caress Tyson's cheek, struggling to stay in character, feigning to scan the crowd before focusing back on his target. "I'm uncomfortable doing this in front of so many people, how about we go somewhere else a bit more private?"

"Like where?"

"Behind the club?"

"You want to take me outside?" Tyson whispered.

"Yes"

"Take me outside and...butcher me?" He grinned, cheeks flushed. The little shit was trying to be a smart ass. Blu almost to decided to say fuck it and do exactly that. Who did he think he was playing with?

By some miracle he didn't and instead said: "Isn't it wrong to judge people by their looks?"

"Nothing wrong with your looks," Tyson purred. "It's just your eyes, there's something about them." Blu gulped and Tyson noticed. He laughed again. Blu was going to kill this boy.

"They're my best feature." On the surface, he was cool and suave, a confident flirt, a stark contrast to what he was on the inside: a lunatic about to flip his shit. Tyson regarded him from under his lashes, chewing on his lip. A beat passed and he wrapped his fingers around Blu's wrist. "Come on" He turned around, leading him towards the back of the club.

Finally

They wended their way through sweaty bodies pressing and grinding against each other with Tyson excusing them and apologizing every now and then. Blu counted down the seconds till they reached their destination in his head, telling himself to fucking hold it in for just a little bit longer.

Tyson pushed the door to the bathroom open and Blu reeled back. This was not what he had in mind and he was about to protest, but fucking in the bathroom was exactly what Tyson had in his mind and he had a death grip on Blu. He found himself getting reluctantly pulled in.

What were the odds, they were the only ones there. The door closed behind them. Tyson locked his arms around Blu, who finally decided to say fuck it and accomplish what he came here for. He thrust two fingers into Tyson's mouth when he came in for a kiss. Yeah, that was enough, bitch. The surprise was evident on Tyson's round face, but he wasn't freaking out yet.

Blu slid the bolt in place with his other hand and Tyson grinned around the fingers in his mouth. Blu did not return the gesture, instead he leaned in and spoke the way he usually did. "Make noise and I will end you before you are done."

The smile wavered. Tyson's mind seemed to be fighting against the alcohol to think. He stared a little unsure, then nodded after a while. Blu extracted his fingers, trailing them down to the star resting between Tyson's collarbones. Tyson gulped. "Um, what are you-"

"Shh, cooperate and I'll let you go soon."

"The fuck, who are you?" He made to shove him away, but ended up howling in pain as Blu slammed his wrist hard against the tiled wall. He looked confused and scared now. "Cooperate" Blu growled at him. "The necklace. Who gave it to you?"

"What does it matter to you?" The puzzled and frightened expression on his countenance, slowly began turning into one of horror as he started to connect the dots in his head. Tyson aimed a kick to Blu's crotch and missed it, his knee connecting with Blu's inner thigh, who lost his patience and punched the kid hard across his jaw. When he doubled over, Blu hauled him up and rammed his forehead into the tile. Tyson grunted, fighting against the hold.

"I'll explain it all," Blu breathed into his ear. "Two years ago, I was the one who bombed that stadium down and killed your friends and family." Tyson went still in his arms, Blu could feel his heart beating loud and fast through his jacket. A sadistic smile curled on his lips. "That's right. We've met before. Now tell me which one of your friends gave you the necklace or I will make sure you die a very long and painful death."

It took Tyson a minute to reply. "I don't remember." Blu marveled at his bravery. Still lying to protect his friend. How noble. How disgusting.

"Don't fucking lie to me." He banged his head twice into the wall and Tyson nearly went unconscious, blood pouring from his temples, down into his shirt.

"Stop" whispered Tyson. "I'll say," he hiccuped. "Please don't hurt him." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence. The boy was about to faint, yet he cared enough to beg for a spawn of the Bratva. Why would an eighteen year old, who was constantly high on drugs, spend the last of his energy to plead to a criminal to not hurt a particular friend of his, especially when he chose drugs over the same friends every so often? May be, the said friend was not a part of his gang at his school?

"I'm not your bitch. Who is he?"

" _Please_ don't hurt him," he repeated with more strength.

"Who is he?" Blu cut off Tyson's air supply for a second, making him sputter and gasp. He still wouldn't answer. Blu threw him on the floor, planting his boot on his chest and putting his weight on it. "Why are you dying for him when he doesn't cared about you anymore?" He sneered.

Tyson looked up at him, eyes filled with pain and tears. He seemed to be having some sort of an internal struggle. Blu watched the emotions wash over the boy's bloody face with an elbow balanced on the leg he used to pin Tyson. Fascinating. Truly. Humans were such complex beings. Not that Blu didn't consider himself as one, he just felt different from the rest. For instance, he couldn't pinpoint what kind of emotion little Tyson was experiencing at the moment. There definitely was pain because he knew what pain looked like, but there was something else there as well and he had to say, it looked beautiful. Blu had noticed the boy's pretty eyes but this was the prettiest he'd seen them all night.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"Kai" The name left him like a last breath.

"Kai who?"

"Hiwatari"

There had only been two instances in Blu's life so far when he had truly been taken off guard, and both of those times, the situation had been unpleasant, but for once, the surprise was actually of the good kind and Blu nearly forgot to take the leg off the suffocating boy's chest. He removed his boot and Tyson gasped in a bout of air.

"I'm not going to kill you, I may have use for you yet." And with that, Blu left Tyson injured and bleeding in the dirty gents toilet.


	3. Chapter 3

You guys, I am proud of myself. I finally managed to get my head out of my ass and write a chapter. Gah.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. WTF?

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

But you'll never be alone

I'll be with you

from dusk till dawn

Baby, I'm right here

 **Zayn Malik**

 **TYSON'S POV**

My head hurt like a bitch. The dingy bathroom smelled of weed and pee and a shitton of bacteria and I was bleeding out on the dirty floor. Thinking back to all the things that had gone down in the last fifteen minutes made me want to kill myself, but since I was too much of a wuss to do that, I settled on calling JB to help me haul my ass out of here before somebody stumbled in and found me dying.

I managed to peel off my jacket, ball it up and press it against my temple, holding it there with one hand while I felt my pant pockets for my phone with the other. JB was on speed dial and he picked up on the second ring. He always answered one or two rings in because the guy's middle name was paranoia.

"Somethin' up, Granger?" JB hissed into my ear. "Why you calling me at this hour?" He sounded like he'd been asleep.

I grit my teeth as a pang shot up the side of my skull. "I'm injured. Come get me." The words came out strained.

JB almost busted a nut, cursing at me. "What the fuck you mean you injured? What you been upto?" Noises could be heard in the background as he moved around. "Where the fuck are you?"

"The Cielo. In the bathroom near the exit." I sucked in a gulp of air, starting to feel light-headed. "It's a long story. I'm losing a lot of blood."

"Fuck, I'll be there in ten. Try not to die before I get to you." The call cut a moment later and I dropped the device to cradle the back of my head. The ceiling lights flickered, reminding me of something. My thoughts drifted in the quiet, to that night two years ago, when I first saw him. That monster of a man.

He was tall. His face was hideous. His hushed voice had almost made me want to run to safety. How could I not have recognized him at the bar earlier when I still had nightmares of his metal-tasting breath keeping me from falling asleep?

He had looked different from what I remembered of him. How? Was that some sort of a disguise he'd worn to protect his identity that day? God, and to think that I'd come that close to the murderer yet he'd still slunk so easily out of my grasp. I had been looking for him for so long and he'd found me instead. How'd he know where I was? How'd he remember me and why? What did he want with Kai?

(Fuck, Kai.)

I'd let that son of a bitch go. He'd killed so many people and I just let him walk away without doing anything. I'd felt so powerless in his hands. Dad deserved a better son. Grandpa did not raise me up every morning to practice kendo with him for me to do so poorly in a fucking situation. I failed them. A tear slipped free and I closed my eyes.

JB rushed into the bathroom a minute later and hurried me out of there, swearing like a sailor.

* * *

"What are you going to do now?" I examined my palms while contemplating an answer. I decided to go with "I don't know". My forehead was all bandaged up and thankfully, I only had a concussion. Not a big deal. I was pretty much concussed all the time if you know what I mean.

JB and I sat in the tiny living room of the place where he holed up whenever he got in trouble with some of his "guys". "We should go to the police," I said.

JB nearly had a meltdown at that. "We can't go to the police!" he stated, looking at me like I'd gone nuts. "No, I mean, _you_ can't go to the police," he corrected himself. "Leave me out of this."

"Why not?" I stared up at him standing before me in that I'm-about-to-flip-tables-bish stance he always adopted whenever something set him on edge (which was pretty much all the time). Hands drawn close to his body, face grim and eyes a little crazy.

"Why not? Why not? Seriously, Granger? What's that thing in your jacket pocket right now? Do you think if you go to the cops they won't search you first before taking your word? And even if you try to erase all evidences of having been in possession of illegal drugs, you can never be one hundred percent sure. You might screw up and then they won't take you seriously. They'll put you behind bars. And that guy you want dead? He's gonna be walking free. Don't be stupid. You can't go to the police."

"Dude, breathe, it's not like I'm going to run straight to the cops before thinking about it."

JB made sense, staring at me wearily. I always knew pot would come back to bite me in the ass. It was because of the constant high I put myself in that I ended up a fucking whore who almost had sex with his dad's murderer. And now I couldn't seek help from the cops because of the same fucking stash in my hands. I snarled in frustration, sitting up. "But honestly, I don't know what else to do. Kai is in danger. Who knows what that fucker is capable of?"

"Didn't you guys used to be friends?" JB recalled from what I'd told him of my past months ago. "Don't you have his number? Call him," he suggested, suddenly appearing tired.

I stopped to consider him. Call Kai? I still had his cell alright. The one I could never reach him with. His number wasn't saved in the new phone I'd bought after moving to the City, but I did have it memorized. By some miracle, the last two of my brain cells had held onto it with all their might even though I had no will to do so.

"He's not exactly helpless. He's got bodyguards and all that." I toyed with a few fibers that stuck out of the rip in my jeans. "I think"

"Yeah, there you go, no sweat. Just tell him to tighten his security and," he surveyed me up and down. "Go to bed, Tyson. It's almost dawn." JB was leaving, yawning and scratching all the way out of the room. "We'll figure out the rest later," he said, before shutting the door.

I dug my phone out, pulling myself onto my feet. This would never work. The lack of sleep, concussion and blood loss were slowly beginning to get to me. I tried to think of an alternate solution to the current mess and came up empty handed (or may be empty-headed). And then I tried to stop stressing out by reminding myself he had protection and he was in fucking Tokyo and not New York where the lunatic Russian prowled at the moment.

I punched in the digits and leaned a shoulder against the windowpane, listening to the beeps. The moon was out, shining bright in the dark, a strong beacon of hope. Kai's phone surprisingly rang. Did he still use it or did I dial wrong? It rang and rang and the knot in my stomach eased with each passing ring. You'd think Kai would learn to answer his phone after stepping into the busy world of business. He owned a fucking company and a huge one. Looking to bring Beyblade back with King. I had a lot of things to say about that move, but my opinion didn't fucking matter this time. The only thing that did was the main reason why kids stopped playing the game: it brought one too many painful memories every time you saw a top spin.

He wasn't responding. Wait a minute, what time was it in Japan right now? It was two a.m here. I did some quick math in my head. Three in the afternoon. Not an inappropriate time to call at all.

Yeah, he wasn't picking up. I was about to hang up when the call connected all of a sudden and Kai said hello in my ear. A jolt went down my spine at his cool voice, startling the mobile out of my grasp. I made a lame move to save the device before it hit the floor and cut Kai off.

Shit, fuck.

I felt out of breath. My heart pounded in my chest. I stared stupidly at the phone lying face down on the carpet, trying to absorb the situation. I had to talk to him, it was absolutely necessary that I talk to him, but I didn't want to. At all. What the fuck do I do now? He hadn't bothered to respond when I'd blown up his cell with calls and text messages after he'd suddenly disappeared. He clearly did not want to talk to me.

I rolled my eyes. Come on, Tyson, quit being petty. Swallow your fucking pride and do it. He may be an ass but you've lost enough people, damn it. I knelt down and was in the process of dialing again when the phone started ringing. I froze. Kai was calling me back. This fucker.

I panicked, thinking "Goddamn it, I don't want to talk to you, ass" and pressed decline, quickly proceeding to switch off the phone. That was dumb. I grit my teeth and fell back on the carpet. Believe it or not, my ego refused to actually stoop low enough to call him like "Kai, I'm worried about you" after two years of no contact. Like fuck no. I'd even do it face to face, but I'd rather die than do it over the phone. Not after the shit he'd pulled the last time we were together.

That had been one nasty fight. I shuddered just thinking about it. Made me feel some shitty type of way. God, I hated Kai with every last fiber of my being. Why was I putting in the effort to save him from that bastard? Man, it literally made me want to crack up that even he guessed the asshole didn't give a fuck about me.

Oh fucking shit. Hold on. How did he know that? _What in the fuck made him say that?_

* * *

 **KAI'S POV**

Whoever had called me on my old phone earlier had switched theirs off now. Strange. Why contact me if you were not interested in engaging in a conversation with me? It wasn't a case of wrong number because they clearly switched their phone off only after I called them back.

Not a lot of people had my old number. In fact, there were only a handful who were currently alive who could reach me through it. The country code indicated the United States. Whom did I know who lived in US?

How convenient that they'd decided to contact me right when I turned the mobile on. I rarely used it these days except when I was terribly missing Tyson. (I was pleasantly surprised the day I found he'd spammed my gallery with photos of his cheeky self. Most of them were from that morning I'd slept in and he'd woken up early but stayed next to me in bed. He'd played around with the camera. Tyson was cute. He was always cute.)

My new contact list was the updated version of the old one and this random number did not belong to it. There was no possibility of the number being used by any of my former teammates, except for Tyson. According to their characters, none of them would do what this person just did either, except for Tyson. And my number was not listed on any of the BBA databases.

I found myself smiling against my will. Some stupid part of me sincerely hoped for it to be Tyson and was extremely happy at the probability. Kai Hiwatari, you are fucking dumb.

Not entirely though, because Tyson had good reason to try and contact me seeing as how the pictures of our stupid asses were circulating around the internet. There was a whole damn video of us being phenomenally whipped to the point of it being cringey to watch. Now, I had to admit, we hadn't exactly been that subtle about our brief (very brief) relationship. I'd kissed him in semi-public places (yes, you little shit, I agree) such as training rooms, bathrooms, empty hallways and elevators, locker rooms, gardens, swimming pools, and that one time we'd let our hormones take over and made out in the seats at the very back of the viewers' box during the Rei-Spencer match. Of course we had always been sure to be spotted, so I wasn't really that surprised that pictures of us had surfaced, but I was surprised that they'd come into light now.

Approximately fifteen minutes before the live worldwide broadcast announcing the resurrection of Beyblade yesterday evening, giving the pictures enough time to reach every corner of the globe. I couldn't help but suspect it was a calculated move on some rival's part, or more specifically, King's. It had taken place while I was in the middle of the press conference, one of the journalists had raised a hand, looked me in the eye and asked me about my not-so-platonic friendship with my former rival and ex-teammate, Tyson Granger. I'd only come to know of the news then, and my assistant had filled me in on the important details while I was in the chair. I had to make a quick decision, whether to accept it or not. Believe me, homophobes existed and they were rife in the world of commerce.

Two years of working hard to prove my critics wrong and establish my image as a reliable businessman and CEO was at stake. Two years of working to prove I was something more than your average teenager and human being, breaking stereotypes and barriers, hiding each and every single thing that even remotely alluded to me being anything less than a money-making machine. I couldn't deny it, because there was enough evidence to call me out on the lie, so the only options left for me were to either brush it off as a phase or a fling or admit we'd been involved in a serious relationship back then.

And the safer option out of the two had been the latter. Brushing off the relationship as a fling, or a phase, would have, once again, jeopardized my credibility as chairman of the HE for fellow board members, while accepting I had been in a fully serious gay relationship with Tyson Granger would not only put future business partnerships at risk but also Granger's life. It had been a tough choice and it'd taken me a fairly good while to answer with "Though it is true I was once in a relationship with Tyson Granger, it is, unequivocally, none of your business and out of context to currently inquire about."

That had shut them all up real quick.

I'd called a special board meeting today morning to ask my fellow directors if they had any uncivilized, and backward opinions or feelings whatsoever on my past relationships or sexual orientation or if they thought either would somehow affect my work or how I run the company. None of them were actual homophobes, saving me from having to deal with undesirable directors. And since I'd chosen all of my employees well, nobody got fired. The prospect of problems arising inside the company had been taken out of question, but how this shit would affect my plans for Beyblade remained to be seen.

Tyson and I, we were the biggest names in the sport, assuming the world to be a shiny, wonderful and accepting place and thinking that word getting out we'd been fucking (which was not true but nobody would believe me if I were to say that) would not cause some hidden homophobia in some people to surface, especially when enjoyment of the same sport had led to the deaths of so many, would be a major failure in judgement. Beyblade was sort of a taboo subject to some, and so were gay relationships.

Scrolling through the comments on some of the articles though, made me optimistic. A lot of fans were excited to hear about it, and some expressed genuine sadness on us not being together anymore, which got me thinking. If the pictures and that twenty second long video made your fucking heart break, imagine how I felt. Tyson Granger was something of a luxury you couldn't understand if you hadn't experienced it at least once.

(Why the fuck did I ever decide to touch him?)

That sentiment could be of use though. If our tragic relationship brought out such emotions in the fans, then it would definitely help the popularity of the sport. The only two problems with it was how Tyson felt about it and the danger it would land him in. A lot of people would kill to see me fall, and I did not want him to pay for my mistakes. Tyson would need protection. I needed to find him. ASAP.

When I'd met King a month ago, my immediate impression of him was that of an old business tiger well-versed in the corporate ways. He knew his stuff. The smile he'd plastered on, along with the warm pat on my back when he shook my hand had almost seemed real for a moment before I'd realized it was a backhanded downplay of my power with my being a newborn fish in this shark tank.

He'd said yes to the partnership I had been there to propose before I even put it forward and I knew right then that Voltaire chose his opponents well. King knew why I had approached him and with no noble intentions. He was more than ready to accept the challenge. He wanted to take me down the same way I wanted to bring him down.

Releasing compromising pictures would not only damage my reputation (to however small a degree) but also, it would make my later ventures with new affiliates a bit more difficult. It wasn't a big blow, more like the first small attack in a series of attacks. He was testing the waters, seeing how I would handle this situation and learning how I would handle the rest from it.

Hmm

I loved this. We had less than two months for the expo and I was leaving for New York tomorrow. Bring on your A game, King. I can't wait.

* * *

 **NORMAL POV**

Hilary checked her watch again. It was almost six. An hour and a half had already passed since their classes let out and Kenny was still nowhere in sight. She stood waiting in front of the main campus building, the sun setting in her backdrop, a light breeze shifting her shoulder-length hair around.

She'd just gotten out of a club meeting herself and knowing Kenny would probably take some more time to be done with his work, she walked towards one of the benches nearby and sat down. Somebody had left a newspaper on it, and Hilary snatched it up to read the headlines. Kai's handsome face graced the front page of The Tokyo Shimbun with the words "Hiwatari to rekindle Nation's Beyblading spirit?" floating above the picture.

Hilary sighed, not quite sure where her feelings were on the prospect, flipping over to the sports section out of habit. She read the first line she saw and did a double take. "What?" she said out loud without realizing it, disbelieving her eyes. There was an article on her old friends Tyson and Kai's relationship, along with an unmistakable photo providing evidence of it. Hilary flew through the piece, then read it once again, slowly, going over each word, her mouth falling open at the utter ridiculousness.

Tyson and Kai were not fucking gay! What in the world? Where did they even get this false information from? Hilary was staring a hole into the picture showing them kissing wondering about how it seemed so legit when Kenny tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, you ready to go?"

She stood up and swivelled around to pin him with a look, holding up the newspaper in one hand to show him. "Did you know about this?" She pointed towards the article and tilted her head at Kenny. A frown appeared on the boy's face as he shook his bangs out of his eyes and leaned in to read. "Oh shit that's-" he cleared his throat, stopping himself.

He looked slightly nervous as he formulated a reply for Hilary. "Dzz- yeah, I knew about the article," he said, meeting her eyes. Hilary clenched her jaw, staring back at him. She let her hand fall and put it on her hip, crushing the paper she was still holding in the process. "Kenny. That's not what I'm asking you."

Kenny opened his mouth like he was going to deny it was true, but changed his mind at the last minute, sighing in defeat. "I knew" He shifted his book bag on his shoulder, fiddling with the strap.

Hilary's eyes went wide. "What? What did you say? 'You knew' as in this is _real_?" She straightened out the now crinkled article to gape at it once more. "How can you say that? Who..? Did Ty-" She paused to look up at him. "Did Tyson tell you?"

Kenny's gaze held hers for a moment before moving away to survey their surroundings. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?" he asked quietly. "I don't think this is the best place to- argh!" He let out a shriek as Hilary grabbed his arm and started on a brisk walk towards the nearest gate.

"Yeah, you're right," she said between steps. "We need to discuss this in detail somewhere there are not a lot of people around."

"Oh! Hey bye!" Kenny waved at a classmate as they passed him, the guy staring after them in puzzlement. They finally made it out of the campus and Hilary dragged him straight to a coffee shop, explaining that he was going to be talking for a long time when he pulled at her sleeve and said he'd rather they go to the park a few blocks down.

She plunked him down into a chair, occupied the one across from it and slapped the paper flat on the table, her palm sitting atop. Kenny considered the palm for a second and then shrugged out of his backpack. "You're scary"

"It helps me get by." The brunette smiled at him calmly. "Now start talking."

The physics major propped his elbows on the table, pushing his glasses back with a slim finger. "Can we drink something first? I'm a little thirsty" he admitted sheepishly, a slight blush colouring his cheeks immediately. Hilary marvelled at the display and took sympathy on him. "Okay"

Kenny had grown up so much over the last couple of years. His shoulders were broad, legs long, and you could finally see his eyes now. He still had the same coconut head hairstyle and the adorable shyness. He still obsessed over science and mythology, and found puppies cute. And though his voice had deepened, it didn't stop him from letting out a high-pitched squeak every now and then. Hilary on the other hand was a full-grown woman now, with a bright personality and an incredible sense of responsibility. And that was enough to say she babied him a lot.

They ordered their drinks and once Kenny took a sip, Hilary set her cup down and crossed her arms. "So, he told you huh?"

Kenny almost choked, as if he hadn't been expecting to be interrogated. He carefully placed the Caramel Macchiato in front of him and clasped his hands together, suddenly nervous.

"When?" Hilary demanded impatiently.

"While it was going on." The boy fingered the rim of the cup, hesitant to go on. The Arts major scowled. "Who else knows?"

"Max and Rei"

"And nobody else?"

"No"

"Why didn't he tell me?" Hilary sat back mad. "Why wouldn't he trust me?" she pouted.

"Argh" Kenny messed up his bangs. "I don't know"

Hilary reached out and smacked his arm. "Ow, what did you do that for?"

"Talk, you idiot! I told you I want the details."

"Geez" He rubbed his arm. "You should become a police officer."

Hilary waited for him, exhibiting patience he didn't know she had. He scooted forward in his chair and started speaking in a low volume so that only she would be able to hear. "It all happened during the last world championships. Tyson was okay at first, focused, driven like his usual self, but then around the end of the first series he began acting extremely strange." Hilary widened her eyes, her face cupped in her hands. "Really? Why didn't I notice that?"

"He'd be happy sometimes and then all of a sudden he'd be really sad and upset. Max, Rei and I, we knew something was up, but he wouldn't come and talk to us voluntarily, so we decided to confront him about it."

"And?" Their coffee lay forgotten as Kenny went on. "Tyson told us once we'd cornered him that he had been secretly crushing on Kai all summer and they'd shared a kiss."

"Oh my god" Hilary covered her mouth.

"But then he said that he didn't feel that way about him anymore and he'd moved on because he was convinced Kai was not like him."

"What do you mean Kai was not like him?" She uncovered her mouth. "I know Tyson's brave but like, even he wouldn't jump Kai."

"No, he didn't. I think it was the other way around."

Hilary's jaw dropped. Shook. "Kai kissed him?" she asked in a whisper.

Kenny nodded. "Yeah", he said giving a breathy laugh, like even he found it hard to believe. Hilary leaned back in her seat, lips pressed together like she was trying to hold in a huge grin.

"Anyway" Kenny shook his head, continuing. "And then he was back to himself, and we thought it was all over, but a few days later, he started acting out again."

"Oh no" Hilary took a sip of her drink, enjoying the moment.

"And whenever I approached him he never gave a proper reply as to why he was so uncharacteristically happy. And believe me, we saw signs. Both Tyson and Kai, every time we found them after being missing for a while, they'd both be flushed and always seemed excited about something."

"Both of them?"

"Both"

"Wow"

"Mhm" he agreed. "But it lasted for a very short time, a few days I guess, and immediately after that Tyson was glum and moody."

"Aw what happened?" Hilary frowned.

"I didn't know then but he told Max and Rei later that Tala made up a lie about Kai taking Hiro's bet he would be able to...you know."

"What?" She had no idea.

"Do that thing with Tyson." Kenny tried to hint at it, but Hilary remained clueless.

"What thing?"

He was a prude and he was getting frustrated. " _You know what thing_ ," he hissed into her face and it finally lit up.

" _Oh_ "

"Thank god" Kenny relaxed in his chair. "I thought you were going to make me say it out loud in a public place."

"You know I wouldn't do that," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

"Well, Tala deliberately lied to Tyson about Kai."

"Why?"

"Because he was afraid Kai was losing focus and they were going to lose." Kenny drank his now warm coffee.

"What a scumbag," remarked Hilary, raising hers to her lips. "And he believed that jerk?"

"Yes he did. He showed him a video or something."

"Of what?"

"Them making out."

"How did he have a video of that?"

"He probably filmed it himself."

"Tala is disgusting." Hilary made a face. " _Always_ hated him."

"He's a destroyer of lives."

"Yes, because Kai definitely liked Tyson."

Kenny looked up at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Because he made Tyson happy," she stated like it was the most obvious thing.

"Oh" They both went a little silent at that. "Anyway" Kenny cleared his throat. "They got back together after that."

"They did? When?"

"On Tyson's birthday" Kenny said happily watching Hilary perk up. "Kai apologized and explained himself. Exposed Tala."

"I would have beaten Tala to death."

"Kai almost did beat him to death."

"Really?"

"Hilary...! Where were you when all of this was happening?" Kenny asked incredulous.

"I don't know! I guess I was preoccupied with something else!"

"Like what?" Kenny inquired.

"The tournament?" Hilary gave him a look.

"Ah" Kenny understood. "And then you saw how they were after his birthday."

"That I did notice!" Hilary said triumphantly. "They were always together. Always." She talked as she recalled. "And so touchy."

"Sooo touchy" Kenny shuddered, the prude in him making its second appearance that evening.

"Geez" Hilary looked pained. "How stupid was I to not realize it? I even saw them hold hands once." She put her forehead in her hand. "They were so obvious."

"You were blind."

Hilary suddenly glanced up at him, fingers over her mouth again, like she just had another realization. "What?" Kenny asked her.

"They're not together anymore," she said quietly. Her eyes looked too sad too soon. Kenny dropped his and reached for his cup again, choosing to not say anything. Suddenly overwhelmed by the events that had followed after Tyson's birthday that winter. They'd seen Tyson's pain. They'd both witnessed first-hand the way Tyson had crumpled onto his knees in front of his dying parents. They'd lost him right then and there along with so much more. So many people more.

They drank in silence and didn't utter another word till they'd each drained their cups. "Well" Hilary drew in a breath and put on a smile, trying to lift the mood, when Kenny made an announcement. "Kai called me today."

Hilary's fingers stilled on her purse. "Today? After all this time? Why?"

* * *

Hiro sighed, rubbing his temples, looking down at the collection of photos with information on each of the pupils at the training academy. A meet was coming up soon with the kids from the neighbouring state and it was upto Hiro to pick the team from the options currently laid out in front of him. He always had a passion for coaching, helping youngsters achieve their dreams, and though his coaching career had almost come to an end as an aftermath of Brooklyn's demise, he had refused to take the easy way out and resolved to continue his profession.

As soon as they'd touched down in NY where Hiro's fiance lived, he'd set his mind to starting his life anew. Put the past in the past and move forward. Lia, the girl Hiro had met while he was on his around the globe tour to strengthen his belief in himself as the best beyblader of the generation, whom he had taken along with him for the rest of his journey and had proposed marriage by the end of it, had been as supportive and as helpful as ever in making that possible.

She had been working at The Rock, a gymnastics training centre, for four years as a well-respected and well paid coach for teens who had a special interest in the field. When a position for a new coach opened up at The Rock two months into his stay, she suggested taking the job to Hiro since he had experience both in the coaching field, regardless of the sport, and freerunning/parkour. Hiro had accepted the post, not without uncertainty, and he had been working there since.

They were currently preparing for the spring parkour meet, the first real meet since he'd taken the job, and he found himself stressed. It wasn't that the kids were not promising enough, they were good at freerunning, really good, and they always listened to him, but the problem was the upcoming event kept reminding him of the last match he'd attended as a coach.

The one where he'd made the biggest mistake of his career.

The memories had Hiro reaching for the sapphire gems that rested on his chest. Brooklyn's earring fashioned into a locket he wore all the time. Brooklyn was not a subject he occasionally thought of, it was always at the back of his mind. And the thoughts resided where they had been pushed till Hiro's defences went down at night, when he was sleeping, and then they'd flow to the front of his mind in the form of a nightmare and scare him out of bed.

Hiro's fingers played with the sparkly stones, recalling the night Brooklyn had given it to him.

 **FLASHBACK**

"Jesus Christ, I'm freezing!" Hiro cursed as he kicked the door to the inn room shut. "Fuck" He kept cussing as he stripped out of his clothes, all the way down to his underwear, and rushed to the fire burning in the corner of the small space. Brooklyn stood dripping by the door watching Hiro blow hot air into his cupped hands to warm them.

"It rained" Brooklyn voiced out loud, quiet and solemn.

Hiro rubbed his head with a towel he found in the small bathroom. "Don't just stand there. Get over here before you catch a cold." And at that very moment the young blader sneezed, making the older shoot him a pissed off look.

"I'm sorry" Brooklyn apologized, forcing himself into action.

Hiro still can't quite get his head around the fact that they'd almost just died because of his trainee. The saltiness of the water lingered in his mouth, his eyes were dry, his nose hurt, and his head was heavy. It felt as though his skull had been stuffed with cotton. Hiro could hear water sloshing around in his ears when he shook his head.

At least he wasn't on the brink of turning into a block of ice anymore.

How unlucky did they have to be to have been compelled to run through pouring rain minutes after they'd saved themselves from drowning in the ocean. It had been so cold. The rain had hit with enough force to almost hammer them into the ground. The cruel part of it all was that it hadn't started raining till they walked out of the shelter of the dockyard in search of a warmer place and were a considerable distance away from it that they couldn't run back. Hiro had begun to picture himself as a frozen pole before he saw the light of the board outside the inn a few meters ahead.

The sound of another quiet sneeze brought him out of his reverie, and Hiro glanced behind him to see Brooklyn standing unsure in a pair of wet shorts, his arms locked across his torso to cover himself. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Brooklyn slowly walked closer to the fire, keeping his arms wound around his chest and abdomen. He looked tall and fragile. Hiro got up when Brooklyn sat down so he could comfortably occupy the space in front of the small fireplace for maximum warmth. The heat from the fire had him closing his eyes and explaining. "I've never been half naked in front of another person before." His teeth chattered as he spoke. "That's all."

He heard rustling from behind him and a moment later felt a light fabric drop on top of his head. Brooklyn looked up at the white sheet lying on his hair as it fell around his shoulders and back, the rest of its length pooling at his sides on the floor. He met Hiro's eyes as he touched a hand to keep the material from sliding off his head and pulled it down, then tugged the sheet some more over his shoulders, keeping his front exposed to the fire while covering his head, back and sides.

Hiro kept his face blank as he lowered himself next to the boy, sitting cross-legged like him. Brooklyn stared for a second longer before going back to focusing on unfreezing his feet. He rubbed his thumb across the pads of his toes, exhaling through his mouth. The colour was slowly returning to his cheeks and lips. Hiro watched as Brooklyn rubbed the soles of his feet, and then he reached across to touch the younger blader's right ear. "Your ears," he said when the other looked at him. "They're blue. Rubbing them is the easiest way to quickly get yourself warm."

Brooklyn closed his eyes as Hiro massaged his earlobes, letting out a small moan, relishing in the feeling. "You're right. That feels better." He angled his head to the left and intertwined his fingers with his toes as the older's fingers made circles on his cartilage. Brooklyn purred, snug in the sheet wrapped around him, drawing an amused smirk and a snort from Hiro.

He stopped immediately after. "Do it yourself" Hiro said as he withdrew his arm. The boy made a disappointed sound at the loss, then proceeded to cradle his ears.

"You're a weird kid," the drigger-wielder remarked, listening to the pattering of the rain outside. The fire crackled and popped, bathing them in a golden glow and casting shadows on the walls. Hiro studied Brooklyn as he sat idly beside him, soaking up the heat. Brooklyn's damp hair was slicked back under the cloth, appearing brown against his milky forehead, the colour in his cheeks had fully returned, and now that he was not freezing anymore, he didn't look as weak as he did earlier. He was built lean and looked strong even though his muscles were not well defined. His limbs were lithe and graceful, skin fair and unblemished. He was as beautiful outside as he was on the inside.

"Why did you throw us off the crane?" Hiro asked him quietly. Brooklyn lifted his innocent blue gaze from the flames to consider his coach, the sheet falling off his head to rest on his shoulders as he did so. "What made you question if you could trust me?" Hiro continued when he didn't reply. "What do you need me for?"

Silence followed his inquiries. Hiro kept his eyes on Brooklyn's as the younger's blues got bigger. Brooklyn had always been something of a mystery, Hiro barely knew what was going on in the boy's mind half the time but he knew Brooklyn enough to be sure he wouldn't do something as dangerous as what he had done earlier without a reasonable explanation for it. So he waited patiently for him to answer as Brooklyn searched in Hiro's eyes.

All of a sudden the Zeus-wielder's expression changed, as though something had just dawned on him. Hiro watched in curiosity as Brooklyn wordlessly got up, taking the sheet along with him, the white bedding dragging behind him as he padded across the wooden floor to where his pants lay stretched out for drying. He picked up the clothing material and rummaged in its pockets for a few seconds, and then placed it back on the floor, before walking back to Hiro.

Brooklyn kneeled down in front of his coach, looked into his eyes for a moment and then softly grabbed his wrist to put something that pricked between his thumb and forefinger when Brooklyn closed Hiro's fist around it. The older looked at him confused for a second and then dropped his gaze to see what the boy had given him. Four blue, sparkling gems in a row winked at him as they caught the light from the fire. The back of the earring was what had been digging into his flesh. Hiro stared at the earring for a while, wondering why it was special to Brooklyn and then looked up when the boy took it out of his hands to attach it to his left earlobe.

Hiro found himself smiling when Brooklyn removed his hand to display the jewelry now adorning his ear, cerulean eyes staring back expectantly at him. The soft glimmer of the gems accentuated his fine features, adding an exquisite aura to him. Brooklyn looked like a prince and Hiro couldn't help it when the corner of his eyes crinkled into a small adoring smile.

Brooklyn looked away for a moment, shy, then raised his chin bravely. "You know how much I like sparkly things," he stated. Hiro nodded, gaze proud on the teen sitting on his haunches before him, the bedding resting on him like a cape. "I got this earring when I was eight," he continued, tilting his head to the side, watching as his trainer's expression turned into one of surprise. "It was a gift."

"From whom?" Hiro wanted to reach for Brooklyn who looked like something delicate as he talked.

The younger drew in a breath, contemplating his skinny thighs that were clad in orange. "When I was eight, I would always go to this park a few blocks down from my parents' house." Hiro knew by now that whenever the latter talked about his parents, he always meant his foster parents. Brooklyn had never met his real mother and father. "It was my favourite park. A lot of kids my age went there too. I'd watch them play games, chase each other around. They never invited me to join them, but they didn't mind me watching them. Then one day, this new kid, who had just moved into this house right next to the park, he believed he had some sort of authority over the kids who played there. He was tall and tough and the very first day that he came to the playground, he noticed me sitting there all alone on a swing, not interacting with anyone, and he decided that I was his prey."

Hiro frowned as the other went on, picking on a loose thread on his shorts. "He chose me as his target and bullied me every single day from that day onwards. He would call me names. Call me a freak for not being like the rest of them. I guess the colour of my hair bothered them. And the other kids joined him in insulting me and it hurt because I genuinely liked the other children there." Brooklyn paused and looked up at Hiro, giving a small snort like he found it sad and funny at the same time. He pulled the sheet closed around his torso, covering all of his body from neck down with it.

Hiro had heard Brooklyn talk about his past multiple times, enough that he should be used to the depressing stories and the look it brought to the younger's face, but he never quite got used to them, and they made his chest ache every time.

The flames were slowly beginning to die down and the room was getting pretty cold. Their clothes were still wet and the only sheet in the room was already keeping Brooklyn warm. Hiro poked at the embers and stood up to get the blanket from the bed. He wrapped himself with it and settled next to Brooklyn, who started speaking again the moment his bottom touched the floor.

"I wouldn't run away even when the kids got really offensive. I would take it like the man I was." The words made Hiro shoot him a half-amused glance. "And once they were gone, I would run to this shop across the street that sold antique items. They had a lot of shiny articles there and I'd find relief in staring at them. I would stare at some pieces for hours and then one evening, I came across this lone earring which was on a mannequin. It took my breath away the very moment my eyes landed on it and then from that day onwards I would go to the shop every evening and straight away find the earring. The shop owner noticed me of course, but he never said anything about all the weird things I was doing in his shop."

"You were simply admiring his collection." Hiro stated defensively. "What's so weird about that? People do that in antique shops."

"But I was just a small kid. Not qualified enough to be called people." Hiro chuckled at him, shaking his head.

"Stop laughing at me."

"I'm not"

"Okay..." Brooklyn looked down at the quietly burning wood, and said, "One day the kids made me cry and I ran into the shop with tears still on my face. The owner found me staring at the earring while crying and then he just took it from the mannequin and gave it to me."

"That was incredibly nice of him."

"When I asked if he wanted anything in return, he said 'Just promise me you'll never let those kids make you cry again.'"

"He knew?"

"He knew" Brooklyn nodded, recalling details. "He knew a lot of things about me. He was always observing me and he said that I was the first person who admired his collection that much and it meant a lot to him. We became friends after that." He looked up at Hiro. "I finally made a friend because of this earring," he said, fingers touching the ornament reverently. "That's why it means so much to me."

Hiro studied the way the other's eyes glistened at the memory, brighter than the sapphires he wore. Brooklyn reached up and undid the jewelry from his ear, then handed it to Hiro after taking one long glance at it. And that was when the realization dawned on Hiro and he inhaled sharply through his open mouth. Brooklyn watched nervously as his role model squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away for a moment. He held his breath waiting for Hiro's reaction.

"You-" Brooklyn cringed as Hiro stuttered in shock, staring at him in disbelief and a little wonder. The older shook his closed fist with the earring as he searched for the correct words. He sighed and shook his head. "You threw us into the ocean because-" He swallowed his words again and kept staring at Brooklyn like he had finally managed to drive his coach insane.

Brooklyn looked down and tried to speak as Hiro seemed to be unable to do so and the silence was starting to suffocate him. He suddenly felt this overwhelming need to explain himself more and was about to go off on a tangent when Hiro's lips came down fully on his. A strong pressure on his lips that sent a wave of warm feelings from the point of contact to his chest before it was quickly taken away. And then it was Brooklyn's turn to stare as Hiro cupped his cheek, unflustered, an unbelievably adoring look in his eyes. "Listen, Brooklyn, I know this earring is precious to you and that's why you did what you did, but you must know that you are precious to me, so please stop doing stupid things for my sake."

The younger blader gulped, a sudden lightness blooming in his chest. Hiro's fingers fell away from his cheek but he felt warmer than he'd felt all his life. Brooklyn smiled at Hiro as the older cradled the back of his head, giving him a small pat. "You stupid wonderful boy," Hiro said, smiling at him with fondness and amazement, causing Brooklyn's lips to stretch into a wide but shy grin.

Hiro took his hand away, smirking, gaze on the fire. Brooklyn felt happier than ever. Loved was how he felt. Loved. And then a thought struck him and he licked his lips before asking tentatively. "You kissed me because you like me, right?"

Hiro sighed as soon as he heard the question, but it was clear by the lines of his face that he wasn't pissed. "You do know that a kiss on the mouth does not always have to be romantic."

"Yes I do," Brooklyn answered immediately.

"I wanted to show you how much I love you and I wanted you to feel that. Neither a hug nor a kiss on the forehead would have sufficed," Hiro explained calmly, gaze steady on Brooklyn, and his face open. Brooklyn had thought he couldn't feel more respect for his coach than he already did, but he was wrong. He had never looked up to the man more than this moment right here.

The fire had completely died down and the temperature of the room went lower. Brooklyn scooted closer to Hiro and lay his head on the older's shoulder, who opened his arm and pulled Brooklyn into his side, wrapping him in the blanket along with him.

"But why are you giving this to me now?"

"I just want you to have it."

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

Brooklyn had fallen asleep against Hiro that night. Hiro had been so worried they were going to catch a cold and he had caught one, but not Brooklyn, who'd shown up like a bright sun to meet his grouchy self the next morning. The memories hurt him in so many different ways and in so many different magnitudes each time they flooded back and no matter how much he tried he simply couldn't stop himself from blaming the boy's death on his own actions. Had he ran a little faster. Had he picked up on the wrong direction the match was heading in a little earlier. Had he not allowed Brooklyn out on the arena at all. The thoughts kept coming and Hiro didn't realize he was biting down hard on the locket, the sapphire gems Brooklyn had given him, till he heard a crack and felt his teeth sink into something soft.

"The fu-" He spat out in bewilderment when a rush of thick, warm liquid flowed onto his tongue from the broken gem which was actually not a gem at all and he dropped the locket. Some of the liquid immediately reached his throat and he started coughing, the stench strong. The entire room smelled of something strong and pungent and he struggled to get the chain off of his neck. The smell burned into his nostrils and when he accidentally breathed it in, it set the walls of his lungs on fire. Hiro started to choke on the fumes, spitting out the blue liquid along with his saliva.

 _"No, you listen to me, Hiro."_ He gasped in more gas when Brooklyn's voice spoke out clearly in the silence and then he was too astonished to cough for a moment when he saw the boy standing right before him. Then began choking and wheezing again as Brooklyn continued speaking. _"You don't have to worry about me."_ He missed the sound of his voice so much. It sounded just the same as it always had. Smooth and velvety. _"Zeus and I, we have a plan."_

Hiro's eyes widened, hand clutching at his throat, as he watched the memory of the last game of the tournament two years ago play out before his very eyes. His mind went into shock as his lungs quickly began running out of oxygen. He managed to pry the chain off, flinging it far away from him, it flew all the way to the other side of the room and bounced off the wall and dropped onto the floor with a quiet sound.

Hiro pushed away from the desk and landed hard and ungracefully on the floor with a thud in panic as his throat seared. His eyes watered as the images moved in front of them. What had begun as a peaceful match had quickly escalated into a crazed fight, it played in slow motion and Hiro could see every detail clearly. And he'd missed a lot that day. He'd missed the way Brooklyn had smiled at Kieran, pitiful and a little wild. He'd missed how loud Kieran had yelled at him to not attack him and the soft words he'd gotten in response. Brooklyn had whispered a goodbye to Kieran seconds before Zeus lunged at the other blader. The bitbeast had torn the boy apart in moments and the crowd had been completely oblivious as the huge beast enveloped the boy's figure. Something had gone wrong with the cameras that day. Why hadn't anybody bothered to fix it?

Kieran's death made his bitbeast angry, and the other beast had thrown itself on top of Brooklyn to shred him to pieces. And Hiro had missed a number of things that had happened in a span of a few moments right before Kieran's beast attacked and Zeus killed. The first thing was the vortex that had suddenly come into existence out of nowhere. The second was that it had appeared right behind his disciple. The third was that Zeus had reached Brooklyn before the other beast. And the last was that the vortex had blinked out of existence just as quickly as it had come and Brooklyn was nothing but broken bones and decaying flesh in the hands of a seething bitbeast in the next second.

Hiro lay there gulping in bouts of air, spit dribbling down the side of his face as the images before his eyes faded and was replaced by the sight of the cream office ceiling. The effects of the liquid or gas or whatever it had been was slowly wearing off and the gears in Hiro's mind began working again. And he was thinking "of course...of course, he had a plan. Of course, Brooklyn didn't give him the earring simply for safekeeping." He had been so stupid. The boy never did anything without a reasonable explanation for it.

* * *

Kai sat at the back of the limo fidgeting with his phone. He was on his way from the JFK airport to his hotel, and for some reason he felt like he was about to jump off an airplane. His stomach was in knots and his palms were clammy. His heart beat at the base of his throat and it beat so fast he feared it might go into a cardiac arrest. Kai could not hear a thing except for the sound of his heart beating and his quickened breath. His nerves were a wreck and he pressed his lips together to keep himself from throwing the door open and hurling himself out into the traffic.

His teeth chattered and it had nothing to do with the temperature inside the car, the car which was currently moving at a sloth's pace. New York's traffic was no joke. Cars went on for miles, arranged bumper to front with barely two feet between them. Kai willed the traffic to move faster, digging his nails into his palms. What the fuck was happening to him? Should he call nine-one-one? Did he inherit some heart disease from his grandfather? He reached for a bottle of water on the side of the door and unscrewed the top, but was unable to get a drop of water into his dry mouth because the very thought of drinking something made him want to puke his guts out.

He put the cap back on the bottle and placed it beside him on the plush leather chair, biting his lip as he sought for a way to calm his nerves. He looked at the black partition between him and the driver, considering pulling over for just a bit. May be stretching his legs and walking around for a while would help. May be this was his form of jetlag. He did travel for hours on a plane and he had just gotten off. That was probably it. Jetlag. Kai version.

He looked out the window to where crowds of people were walking up and down the street, some laughing with a friend, some talking loudly with phones pressed to their ears, some simply rushing toward their destination. Yeah, walking would be a good idea and he was about to turn around and ask his driver to stop the car when he noticed a familiar face among the crowd. Barely a flash. The guy was pulling a black hoodie over his head while looking behind him at someone or something, head turned towards Kai and for a moment time stopped. Before it began ticking again and the guy was lost in the crowd, among hundreds of other people.

Could it be? Kai found himself thinking. Could it really be him? But the guy looked so much like-

Kai pressed down on the button to lower the partition and ordered his driver to pull over immediately. Thankfully, they were on the edge of the road and no other car was blocking their way as the vehicle was maneuvred to the side and brought to a halt. Kai flung the door open and stepped out, telling the driver he had something to take care of and he'd be back quickly. His heart picked up its pace as he shut the door and began to navigate his way through the crowd, eyes searching for one person and one person alone.

Kai looked for a black hoodie, and almost tapped some stranger who wore a similar one. His legs itched to run towards something and he held back for all of two seconds before breaking into a speed-walk. His eyes scanned left and right, with the features of Tyson's face clear in his mind, not a single one matched and he was now a good distance from the car. May be it hadn't been him. May be it was just someone who looked like him, but the way his entire body tingled told him otherwise.

"Where the fuck are you?" Kai muttered out loud, almost bumping into someone. He threw an apology over his shoulder and kept looking. All of a sudden he felt a hand brush over his back pocket, and he turned around ready to knock out whoever the fuck had dared to touch him that way, his own hand moving to feel the pocket when he stilled. His pocket was empty.

Kai's wallet had been stolen.

Motherfucker.

There were some valuables in there that he just could not let go. Like the memory card from his old phone holding all of Tyson's pics. Kai saw a guy running hurriedly away from him to his left and burst into a sprint after him. A credit card and some change he could do without. The photos he could not.

Kai followed the guy into a dimly lit alleyway, the sound of the city fading away the further he went down. The pickpocket ran fast, he moved like a shadow down the barely lit path. He kept disappearing from view. Kai reached a wall where two paths diverged, one to the left and one to the right. He looked down both of them, the traffic sounding far away now. He cursed. Where the hell even was he?

This wasn't his first time in New York. He'd been here before on several other business trips, but he wasn't familiar with the streets. He wasn't familiar at all. Kai chewed on his lip, slowly beginning to panic, wondering if he'd lost his way when he heard a sound of something crashing from his right. He ran towards the sound, feeling around in his pockets for his phone. Kai's footsteps came to a halt when he discovered that his phone was gone too. He was starting to panic now.

The sky was dark and so was the silent alleyway expanding out ahead of him. Kai combed a hand through his hair, thinking and listening. He could hear water dripping from a pipe at a distance. The alley was lined with medium-sized buildings and he wondered how far he'd run. All the buildings were tall in the city, weren't they? Oh fuck.

He reminded himself to remain calm and think logically. He'd find his wallet and phone and a way out of here. He just had to listen. Kai walked through the narrow space, ears straining for the smallest of sounds and almost gave up hope when he was met with a dead-end. A brick wall stood twenty feet away from him.

Kai would have missed it if he hadn't happened to glance down when he did. Right before he turned back around, he saw a glint on the ground. He took a step or two towards it and squinted. And there it was. His wallet and phone. The glint was the phone reflecting the faint light from one of the buildings.

Kai sighed in relief before frowning in confusion. Why steal it if you are just going to leave it on the pavement? Did he drop it? Both the wallet and the phone? The guy had been running pretty fast, but something did not quite add up. He looked around him. Up at the buildings, the corners, the dumpster a few feet away. Nobody seemed to be lurking anywhere. The place was quiet. Extremely so. It set him on edge.

He took a couple more looks around, carefully, and then slowly ventured towards the stolen items, his entire body on alert. He listened for the tiniest of movements as he knelt down to pick up his phone and wallet. He secured them in his grasp and carefully straightened back up. He was about to make a break for it when he saw the figure standing five feet away from him. He froze.

The man was tall and hidden in the shadows. Kai's gut twisted with apprehension as his gaze tracked down the guy's form. He involuntarily took a step back in fear when he saw something shiny in his grip. Run. Kai's brain told him. The man was waiting for something. Kai wondered what. He was double his size. The guy took a step forward and Kai took two back. And then his brain screamed at him to get the fuck out of there and Kai turned around and ran for his life.

The man followed right behind him.

Their footsteps echoed in the dark alleyway, Kai could hear his own heartbeat in his ears as his foot stepped in a puddle and send water splashing. It appeared as though he was in a maze, the path just went on endlessly, and there was barely enough light for him to make out what was before him. The man was gaining on him and Kai darted around a corner, running in a different direction now. He thought of using his cell phone to call nine-one-one but he'd probably be dead by the time they reached him and he knew if he slowed down even the tiniest bit to make the call the man would be on him the next second.

He focused on taking as many turns as possible, willing his feet to move faster and no matter how hard he ran, the man just kept on getting closer. What the fuck?! He can't die! Why was he even being chased by Usain Bolt's twin? If he wanted money, he'd have taken his wallet and be done with it, but the wallet hadn't been his target. Kai was. He had purposefully drawn him into this fucking maze so he could finish him off in the dark. King was getting rid of him this fast? Or was it somebody else? The folks from Hinata Corp? They hated his guts. But why hunt him down in New York?

They could have done it with a lot more ease in Japan. Right? Or may be this was ideal. Fuck. He wasn't thinking straight. He was sprinting too fast and his legs were beginning to give out when he saw he was heading towards the man and not away from him. How did he he- Kai's mind spun as he swivelled around on his heel, nearly losing his footing as he raced down another direction. He wasn't going to be able to keep up for long. He needed to find some place to hide or he was going to be butchered like a pig.

Kai's legs were slowing down, his vision was blurring, the adrenaline rush was numbing his brain, exhaustion was taking over and he struggled to breathe. The alley swam before his eyes, the buildings swirling around him, he gasped as he felt a hand clamp down hard on his wrist and he was pulled roughly to the side.

Kai nearly tripped and hit his head, but found himself dragged into a small nook between the buildings. He was about to fight the person when a hand came down on his mouth and the guy spoke. "Shh...it's me. It's me." Kai almost threw the guy off and punched him in the face but stopped when he heard hurried footsteps round the corner of the alleyway where they hid. They were squeezed in between two walls where there was absolutely zero light and Kai held his breath behind the person's hand.

A chill went up his spine when the man who was chasing him paused and an eerie silence followed. The other guy with him made no sound at all and Kai wondered for a brief moment if he recognized his voice when he spoke earlier. There was a quiet rustle extremely close to where they stood and Kai closed his eyes, suddenly praying for the man to fuck back off to whatever hell he had crawled out from. They stood unmoving for what seemed like hours and Kai felt an irrepressible need for oxygen. His heart thudded so loud in his chest he was sure they were going to be discovered because of that alone.

And then he heard a sound quite far from them, faint footsteps running off in another direction and Kai finally breathed. The first thing that invaded his nostrils was the smell of vanilla and weed, making him wonder whose hand was still across his mouth. But then he recalled why he'd even gotten out of the car and his heart rate skyrocketed for a completely different reason. He felt the change in the air, and he sensed the way the fingers on his lips rested there like the body they were attached to was too aware of where they were and what they were touching.

 _"It's me"_ , he'd said. _It's me_. Who else would say that?

This was fucking unreal. He'd been in New York for all of fifteen minutes and he'd already been hunted down like an animal and came across the boy he'd thought he'd never see again. It was so dark Kai wished there was at least a sliver of light so he could make out the face of the person standing mere inches from him. And he wanted to make sure the guy stayed at least till he found out who he was so he could properly thank him. Tyson or not, he'd still saved his life.

Vanilla and weed. Tyson never smelled like vanilla and weed and it killed his hopes a little to know that. After another minute or two, the guy removed his hand from Kai's face and Kai was about to ask him for his name when a light was switched on somewhere far above them and it cast enough glow to illuminate the face of the boy who'd saved his life.

It happened so suddenly and caught Kai completely off guard and the adrenaline in his body made him overreact to it and pushed him to the brink of panic. The sight of the face before him sent his mind into a little shock that for a moment he was unable to recognize Tyson. What he remembered did not coincide with what his eyes were beholding either and for a while he simply stared in awe as his brain failed to process the information. And then it clicked all of a sudden and Kai let out a small gasp, his heart stuttering in his chest.

Tyson had grown up so much over the last two years. His facial features had developed and were well-defined and once the initial shock over seeing his handsome face so close wore off, the rest of the reality caught up with Kai and he stared some more at Tyson because it really was Tyson. Tyson fucking Granger.

Tyson seemed to be in a somewhat similar condition as himself for a bit, before he snapped out of it and poked his head out to check if the coast was clear. Tyson's hoodie-clad arm brushed Kai's chest as he moved around in the tiny space and all Kai could think was Tyson. Tyson and vanilla.

The younger drew back in to say something and their noses almost brushed as he did so, sending Kai's mind into a further scrambled state. To say he missed having Tyson near would be the understatement of the decade. He was feeling too much at once to feel much of anything at all. He was numb and he failed to give a response to whatever he had said. And then the other was pulling him out of there by his sleeve and into another small hiding place. This time it was somewhat bigger and they had more room for movement. The lights came on and it looked like they were in some sort of a storage closet. Brooms and buckets lined the edges and there were a lot of other junk in there.

The room stank of paint.

But Kai didn't mind because he was too busy studying Tyson. Tyson who seemed like he had appeared out of nowhere to save Kai and who was now staring back at him like he'd finally forgot how to function too. And here Kai thought he was the only one going into photo-induced epilepsy. The Tyson Granger present before him now looked much different from the one he'd left sleeping in his bed in the middle of the night two years ago. He was taller, just as tall as Kai, and he had cut his hair. It swooped in arched fringes onto the sides of his forehead and was short at the back. Where he'd always wore colourful clothes in the past he was now dressed in a simple black hoodie and ripped jeans. Jeans that hugged his long legs.

Some things were still the same though. He still had the same soulful, chocolate brown eyes, which somehow seemed to have grown in their ability to draw someone in to their depths. The same button nose and chin. And though he'd lost all his baby fat he still had an ample amount of flesh in his cheeks. His mouth, his beautifully pink pouty mouth still looked as tempting as ever, may be even more.

Tyson suddenly cleared his throat, fidgeting with the end of his sleeves. He shuffled his feet and looked down for a second before glancing back up at Kai. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something and then he just sighed. "Uh..."

The sound send tingles up Kai's spine. Tyson's voice had gotten deeper and Kai gulped, the tension between them growing even thicker. Kai was overwhelmed. Thousands of thoughts and emotions warred in him and he had no clue as to what to say in this situation. Holding conference meetings and giving speeches like he was born with a silver tongue were things he could do, but speaking to Tyson when the atmosphere was full of tension was something he could not. He wanted to thank him, but he wondered if just a thank you would suffice because it was Tyson and when it came to Tyson everything was complicated.

He watched as the other brushed fingers through his hair and licked his lips. Tyson appeared strangely tense, like he was worried and given the circumstances he should be too. He'd just been chased down like a rat. He was supposed to be worried for his safety, but he simply could not find any in himself. And then Tyson clicked his tongue and began speaking.

"Look, Kai" Tyson's tone was low and urgent. This whole situation was surreal because the changes in Tyson was just too fucking much and he found himself listening to the sound of Tyson's deep voice more than to what he was actually saying. "Your life is in danger, okay? That guy who just chased after you, he is a part of the Russian mafia." That got Kai's attention and he frowned like an intelligent human being, finally deciphering his words.

"What?" Kai asked and his voice sounded weird. Tyson looked slightly taken aback. Then he recovered and said, "I'm not kidding. Trust me." Tyson let out a little laugh full of air, reaching down to his pants to pull something out of his front pocket. "I know it's weird, but your grandmother," he talked as he handed a chain to Kai (careful not to touch him), who took it and examined it and identified it as the one his grandma had left him in her will and he'd given to Tyson. "She was a part of it too. Like an important member, that's why she had that necklace with her."

"Tyson, slow down," said Kai and Tyson looked a little shaken again, like Kai speaking physically affected him. Tyson sniffed, rubbing the back of his hand along the underside of his nose. Kai sighed and looked away for a moment, forcing his mind into reacting properly to the current situation. "You're saying that," Kai spoke slowly and Tyson nibbled on his lip as he did so. "A member of the Russian mafia is after me because of my grandmother?"

Tyson looked to the side for a moment, thinking before answering. "Well, I don't know why he's after you, but he is after you and he's dangerous." Brown eyes looked up at him solemnly. "Really dangerous. He's the same guy who was behind the stadium attack."

Now Kai's mind was fucking reeling. Too much information to process at once. Why couldn't Tyson slow the fuck down? They were seeing each other after two years. Out of all the scenarios that had played out in Kai's mind each time he contemplated how this very meeting would go down, he'd never been able to imagine something like this. Tyson appeared to be in a rush to get everything over and done with and here Kai was trying to put pieces of reality together and make some sense out of it.

"He found me. I don't know how, but he did and he asked me who gave me the necklace and he threatened to kill me, so I told him it was you. I'm sorry." Tyson pressed his lips together, guilt written all over his face. He gulped and looked away, the emotion quickly getting wiped off. "I was following him and that's how I found you," he said quietly. Tyson chewed silently on his lower lip for a moment, gaze cast downwards. Then he shook his head and pulled the hood back over his head, opening the door a crack to peer out.

Kai was tempted to tell him to slow down again, but he sensed that one too many things were going wrong right now, so he kept his mouth shut, thinking about all the things he learned in the past few minutes. Tyson looked back in and when Kai met his gaze he said, "He seems to be gone. Wait for a minute or two before you head back out, just to be safe." Tyson seemed so unlike himself as he spoke the words and Kai wanted to shake him. Why are you acting so different? Did I mess everything up when I left you that night? Kai felt so bad he wanted to sink to the ground. Tyson had changed. Tyson had changed so much that it was fucking horrible.

It was all finally hitting him and Kai felt his knees go weak. If Tyson had noticed the devastated expression on Kai's face he didn't show and instead he opened the door further and turned around to leave. "Call your driver," he said and was about to step out when Kai knocked himself out of his stupor and grabbed Tyson's wrist. He felt the other's muscles clamp up as his entire body went rigid under his touch. Kai smelled the weed on Tyson again and his heart clenched in his chest.

Tyson had always been Kai's rock. His point of tranquility in a hurricane. His fucking anchor. And now he had given up too and the realization harrowed a hole through Kai. He knew Tyson's father and grandfather had been victims of the attack and he knew Tyson had lost a major portion of his friends circle, and when news reached Kai that Tyson had left his home in Japan, he had suspected this. And he had always just sort of known Tyson would have changed after all the shit that had happened to him, but he never let himself believe it. And now seeing it happen for real hurt more than he ever thought was possible.

And there was what had happened between the two of them the night he left. That horrible fight they'd had and the way it had ended. Kai didn't know how he could even begin to fix things. But he knew how much he missed Tyson, and he knew he couldn't lose him again. Tyson was here. Right here. But why did it feel like he still hadn't found him yet? Kai smoothed the tip of his thumb down the back of Tyson's hand and felt a shiver go up the latter's body, which made Kai look at him and this time Tyson turned his chin to meet his gaze. Kai's breath hitched when he saw the pain in Tyson's pretty eyes and he wished he could make it all go away, but he knew he could not. He was the cause for a fair amount of the pain Tyson was in and though every last inch of Kai wanted to pull Tyson into him, he held back. He didn't want to hurt him anymore than he already was.

"Thank you" said Kai and for a fraction of a second, he saw the boy he'd always known and in that brief moment the need to draw Tyson into his arms was so crushing he dropped the boy's hand in surprise, and he was gone in the blink of an eye. Tyson's face shuttered and he nodded once before stepping out and shutting the door behind him. Kai's fingers reached for the knob, ready to go after him, before reminding himself that he couldn't fix it that easily. Tyson needed time and somehow two years just hadn't been enough. He fucking hated him for what he had done. Kai fucking hated himself too.

He stood alone in the small storage room, feeling like he'd just held the world in his hands for a moment before it slipped through the space between his fingers and vanished. Like he'd been given what he'd been asking for years and found out it wasn't all he'd expected it to be. Like he'd experienced hell and heaven at the same time. His body still tingled, reminding him who had been close enough to touch only a few seconds ago.

Kai retracted his hand and dialed the cops, closing his eyes as he brought the phone up to his ear, the chain dangling from his fingers.

* * *

A/N: I might get another chapter out next week. Might.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, look who it is. That's right. It's me. I am back again. A lot faster this time. With a short af chapter. But um...enjoy I guess?

Disclaimer: My lazy ass is getting tired of typing this but I don't wanna be sued, so, I don't own Beyblade.

Track recommendation: Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid (Listen to it while reading for the full experience *snickers*)

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

Isn't it lovely, all alone?

Heart made of glass, my mind of stone

Tear me to pieces, skin to bone

Hello, welcome home

 **Billie Eilish, Khalid**

Tyson raced up the stairs, taking two at a time, his feet barely touching a step fully before it was lifting up into the air again. Tears lined his eyes, blurring his vision, a sob trying to escape his throat as he hurried to get away - far, far away - from Kai. Tyson was flying up the same building where he'd hid Kai in the storage closet, trying to pull a disappearing act, just in case Kai decided to follow him.

The terrace door burst open to reveal a panting Tyson on the brink of a breakdown. That sob he'd managed to hold in for so long, finally made its way out in the form of a broken wheeze, before he crumbled onto his knees, face in his cupped hands. He partly didn't understand why he was crying, but the barrage of emotions had hit him like a truck and he had been completely vulnerable when they struck. He was more sober than he'd been in a year and all his defences had gone down the moment he risked his life to save the boy from the Russian.

Even though Tyson had seen Kai's face on the news multiple times over the last year and a half, in his mind, Kai had still been the same boy he'd met that afternoon in the park. The same boy he'd challenged to a bey battle. The same boy he'd learnt to respect as a captain. The same boy who'd taught him about hardwork and perseverance. The same boy who'd given him his first kiss and his first heart break. And when he'd seen the man who had already taken so much from him, trying to get his hands on Kai, he had rushed in without a further thought.

He'd almost hugged Kai in relief when he finally got the boy out of plain sight. Tyson had felt like he wasn't completely useless anymore, like he had finally been of use to someone who meant something to him. One of the biggest things that had haunted him since the Spectacle Arena Tragedy was how he had been a paralyzed and helpless onlooker when the people he held dearest to heart were shot to death right in front of him. Saving Kai's life had lifted an entire weight off his chest and he had been able to finally breathe again.

But all of those pleasant feelings had evaporated into thin air the moment a light had shown across their faces and Tyson saw the man before him. His first thought had been: it's not Kai. It's not Kai. How could it have been? The boy he'd known was definitely not the one he'd come across that night. Chisel-cut and iron-composed. He had barely reacted at the sight of Tyson. He'd expected more. A lot more, but what he'd gotten was something else entirely. Kai had looked like he didn't even recognize Tyson. Like he was some stranger and the look in the latter's eyes had seared into Tyson's heart.

He couldn't bear to see that and had had to distract himself. Protect himself from the tumult of emotions he knew Kai was capable of putting him through. Tyson had put mind over matter and been able to sneak the other into the nearest safe spot without breaking down right then and there. He was sober and in no condition to deal with everything that came along with Kai, but somehow he had been able to put up a brave front.

Tyson had been no match for Kai though, who'd seemed unbothered and unaffected like he hadn't just been running away from a madman and bumped into someone he hadn't seen in years. Someone he hadn't seen since they'd slept together. He was such a fucking contrast to Tyson who had been about to fall apart from how much the situation affected him. Kai had been in a black button down and slacks, slate hair all slicked to the side and perfect like he hadn't been sprinting a minute ago, and everything about him was so calm and collected. Even the atmosphere surrounding him seemed to hold a cold tranquility.

He wasn't Kai the beyblader anymore. He was Kai Hiwatari the CEO and Chairman of Hiwatari Enterprises. Someone Tyson did not even know. And in that moment, Tyson had scrambled to pull himself together and do what was imperative. He'd managed to tell Kai what he had to know with as less feet shuffling and stuttering as possible, but when Kai had interrupted him, his heart had nearly failed, because he'd sounded exactly like a stranger. It hadn't though and Tyson had strained to just get all the necessary words out so he could get away from the horrible suffocating place he was in. Away from the feelings.

When Kai had spoken for the second time, his voice had been low and the pitch so different and more emotionless than Tyson had ever known it to be, that he'd almost broken down at the realization. Truth was, when Tyson understood how the current circumstances with the Russian criminal would require him contacting Kai, he'd actually looked forward to it. The prospect of meeting Kai, or at least talking to him, had, no matter how much Tyson wanted to deny it, uplifted his spirit. Kai was something from his past that still remained and he wanted it back in his life, regardless of who it was. And finding out that he'd been wrong, so wrong to not expect Kai to have changed, even when the media proved otherwise all the time, hurt him in new ways he didn't know existed and the very unfamiliarity of the pain had him overwhelmed.

Tyson had gotten it done and he had been about to get out of there when Kai had touched him. Dragged a warm finger down his sensitive skin and whispered a thank you to Tyson, eyes sincere and familiar. So familiar. Tyson had wanted to lean into the touch, but it had lasted for only a millisecond. Kai had removed his hand from Tyson's as though it had burned him, and that reminded him of the morning he'd woken up to find the bed empty next to him when he'd fallen asleep with Kai the night before. Confirming doubts he'd never asked to be confirmed that day.

His entire body had been ready to fucking combust from the multitude of feelings roiling through it and he'd never been more thankful to escape from a situation than when he had finally stepped through the damn door.

Tyson dragged his face up from his hands, tears getting spread over his cheeks by his palms. He blinked at the starless night sky, inhaling in the fresh air, the knots in his chest loosening as his lungs filled up with cool air. He sat there crouched on the hard floor, palms steepled against his nose, trying to find his bearings. Kai's smooth face stood out like a white wall in his mind, blocking every other thought, chasing away whatever semblance of happiness he'd been holding onto, opening up all the sealed wounds, scratching them fresh.

That was it then. Nothing of Tyson's past life remained. All the love, happiness and laughter that had been a part of his life, had been wiped clean from his reality. God, what in the fuck had he done to deserve this? This was all so fucked. Fucked. Tyson didn't even want to think about what lay in his future. His eyes caught the edge of the roof and froze.

Wouldn't be the first time he'd thought of doing it. Tyson closed his eyes and hung his head, sighing. What would have been the point of holding on for so long if he were to just jump off a fucking roof now? He grit his teeth, groaning in frustration. Why did it have to be so fucking hard? He raked fingers across his scalp, thinking for a second, before shutting his eyes and reaching into his pockets.

Tyson stood up, walking across the terrace, steps light and careful as he approached the edge. He eyed the alley below, fingers closed over his stash, playing with the plastic cover. His fingers stilled when he saw Kai exit the closet, quietly closing the door, and making his way out of there. Tyson wondered for a second how the guy knew where he was going as he walked down the path with purpose. Tyson extracted his hand from his pocket, noting how his pulse sped up on its own accord in Kai's proximity. Just like how they always used to before everything changed.

That had remained the same. The inexplicably dizzying elation was the very reason why he had been able to find Kai that easily in the dark. It had led him straight to the boy. Tyson's nerves were all over the place, his heart beating so fast he involuntarily brought a hand up to his chest, his legs tingling, fingertips buzzing. "What the fuck" Tyson cursed, lips quivering, eyes wide in amazement. He could feel the pulsations against his palm. Adrenaline coursed high through him and Tyson's eyelids fluttered close at the feeling. It was so familiar. For a moment he felt as if he were back on that hill he and Kai always went up. For a moment he could pretend things were back to normal.

But they weren't. Things would never be the same again either. He watched as Kai combed his hair back, seconds before he disappeared around the corner.

The nerves lingered. Light and feathery under his skin, like he was slowly moving within his own body. A soft breeze coming from the direction Kai had gone, blew by, caressing Tyson's hair and cheek. He found himself living in the moment, listening to the muted sounds of the night, breathing in the calming air, the ache in his heart soothing over as time slowed down.

Tyson forgot about his stash as the night before the attack flowed to the front of his mind. He braced his hands atop the short wall, leaning his weight on them as the memories gained control over him and took him back two years.

 **FLASHBACK**

Tyson paced the length of the room, restless and angry. He paused in his tracks to decide how he was going to approach Kai, attempting to be logical for a moment before the frustration over the events of the day kicked back in, and he resumed. Kai had touched Dragoon without his permission, while he had been unaware, and tampered with it. Fucking tampered with it. Tyson wanted to hurl the lamp standing on the end table at the door.

The problem wasn't with the fact that his blade had been sabotaged and he'd lost the match, but that Kai had done what he had done. He'd trusted Kai with every last fibre of his being, and the guy had gone ahead and broken it in the worst way possible. Why? Dragoon was something Tyson treasured. The one thing that mattered to him above all else. His ultimate prized possession. Something absolutely sacred to him. And Kai, the boy he loved and held in his highest regards, someone he respected and believed to be respected in return by, someone whose actions and words had influence over Tyson because of the position he earned in the latter's heart, had meant to harm Dragoon. _Dragoon_.

Kai knew exactly how much Dragoon meant to Tyson, yet he'd damaged the blade. So he'd lose the match and be out of the tournament? Did he want to win that bad? So much he hadn't thought twice about losing Tyson's trust?

The door to the hotel room suddenly opened and Kai walked in, something purple and gold in hand. He met Tyson's eyes as he shut the door and locked it behind him. The dragon-wielder bit his cheek, holding in his anger. Kai's face was unreadable as always as he stepped towards Tyson. It was late. Tyson had gotten to the hotel only thirty minutes ago, after wandering around the parking lot for an hour following the game. He hadn't seen Kai since that morning, and so his gaze naturally scanned over the other boy.

Tyson kept his mouth shut, letting his eyes speak of his mood. Kai spoke. "I brought you some chocolate." He held out the candy bar to the younger blader and Tyson glanced down at it, getting madder by the second. Was he mocking him? Kai had never bought him anything, let alone fucking chocolate, and the whole caring boyfriend gesture after the kind of shit he'd pulled made Tyson want to poke his eye out.

"Why?" he gritted out.

"I heard what happened," Kai answered, taking Tyson's hand in his and pressing the bar into it. Tyson closed his fist around it unenthusiastically as Kai cupped his cheeks and brought Tyson's face closer to his own, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. The Dragoon-wielder did not respond and the other noticed, sighing. "There will be other tournaments, Tyson."

Tyson turned his chin away, Kai's hands dropping to the sides of his neck. "Cut it out, Kai." He pushed away from the other and Kai frowned. "Cut the fucking act," Tyson continued, looking into his eyes. "You're not fooling anybody."

"What did I do?" Kai seemed halfway mad. He'd gone as far as buy the other a chocolate bar, something he'd never done for anyone before, and had genuinely been trying to be nice only for the sake of Tyson, but had ended up getting brutally rejected.

Tyson huffed a sarcastic laugh, empty of humour. "Wow, Kai," he remarked. "You can act."

Kai frowned for a moment, before the lines eased and he said, "I know you're upset because you lost the match and got kicked out of the championship, but you don't have to take it out on me."

Tyson sucked in his lips, considering the other boy's incredibly honest gaze. Kai really looked like he didn't know why Tyson would have a reason to be mad at him. Tyson's anger let up a bit, enough for him to nod his head like a sensible human and say "okay" before crossing over to the end table and getting his beyblade. He walked back to Kai and showed him the inside of his open blade. He'd told the Chief to not fix it yet just for this very purpose. He studied the phoenix-wielder's profile as he took a look.

"I didn't lose because I wasn't good enough, Kai," Tyson said quietly. "I lost because somebody tampered with my blade."

The older blader put his hands on his hips and looked back up at Tyson, gaze indignant. "And you think it was me," he stated bitterly, disappointment evident in his tone.

"Who else could it be?" Tyson went defensive, drawing the blade to himself. "Dragoon has been in my hands all day long, and he was perfectly all right till I went to bed last night. You were the only one in there with me."

"So you think it was _me_?" Kai asked again, stressing on the words, making what Tyson was suggesting seem highly stupid. Tyson gulped, feeling unsure about it for the first time since that evening. The thought that may be it hadn't been Kai and he was pointing fingers at someone innocent scared him a little. He shook his head, stepping back to gather his thoughts.

He wasn't being irrational. He had enough proof. "This little string wasn't in there last night when I went to bed, and he's been with me all day long."

"Are you sure about that?" Kai asked him, daring him to say yes. Tyson pressed his lips together as the Dranzer-wielder went on. "You know what your problem is, Tyson? You're too quick to come to conclusions. If somebody had messed with your blade, why would you suspect it to be me? What reason do you have to support that supposition of yours? Me, who has never played with you, in any other way than fair and square. Me, who challenged Spencer and Bryan to a match before the last championship final so I wouldn't have an advantage over you when we battled. Why would I play dirty now?"

"May be because you've never won against me when you played fair and square in a championship?" Tyson bit back, trying to defend his point. He watched as Kai paled and regret immediately replaced some of his resentment.

Kai saw red in his vision, Tyson's image before him blurring for a moment. What had he just said? The words hurt, actually hurt. Beyblading was something religious to Kai. He would never cheat at the sport. What was the point of a victory if you didn't achieve it with your own strength and skill? And no matter how much he wanted to win against Tyson in a final, he'd rather lose having played fairly than win by cheating or with an unfair advantage. And to know that Tyson didn't believe that about him made his chest ache. It did a lot more than sting his pride because the accusation had come from Tyson, but Kai saw the way the other boy held himself.

Tyson was wounded too. Truth was, Kai did tamper with Dragoon, and yes, it was because he wanted the boy out of the tournament, but not for the reasons Tyson supposed. Kai cared for Tyson and this tournament they were a part of was going in the wrong direction. There were one too many fishy things going on, and Kai did not want to risk another hospital visit like his last match. He was worried for Tyson's safety and when he'd suggested withdrawing from the championship the boy had been adamant to continue, so he'd seen only one way to make sure Tyson stayed safe and the blade had been lying there so easily accessible to him the night before.

"When someone screws with you, the first person you should suspect is not your fucking boyfriend, Tyson."

The part of Tyson that was in love with Kai was deeply regretting his words and sad that they were arguing in the first place. When the term 'boyfriend' left Kai's mouth, his heart leaped. The younger had never heard the other boy utter that word once in all the time that he'd known him, and to see the Dranzer-wielder use it to call himself as Tyson's made him feel special and mindnumbingly happy. But the part of him that was pissed off and filled with resentment and doubts just increased in aggravation. The part of him that doubted Kai's true intentions grew a lot more suspicious at the usage of the term. "Oh, you're my boyfriend now?" he asked quietly. "I didn't know that."

"Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't play the victim, Tyson." Kai watched as the other's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You and I both know what's been going on." He ignored it when the Dragoon-wielder replied saltily with his arms folded: "I really don't."

Kai mirrored Tyson unconsciously as he spoke, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "The things I've done for you, Tyson, I haven't done for anybody else in my whole life." The younger's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "I helped you, my rival, try and find your bit beast in the middle of a tournament. I held your hand when you got scared in front of your friends. I hugged you and kissed you to sleep every night since your birthday-"

"You're _listing_ things off now?" Tyson interrupted, looking incredulous.

"-I bought you a fucking chocolate because I knew you'd be upset, Tyson-" The dragon-wielder was shaking his head now, unwilling to listen to any more of what Kai was saying. "You're fucking unbelievable," he muttered. "Seriously..."

Kai raised his voice the more Tyson appeared to not hear him. "-listened to you whine and complain and sucked your fucking dick! How am I not your boyfriend?!"

Tyson rubbed his brow, a hand on his hip, refusing to look at the other boy in the room. "I can't believe this" he kept saying.

"You, on the other hand," Kai continued, clearly angry because of the way Tyson was acting now. "You've done nothing to prove you even care about me, let alone love me-"

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Tyson finally looked up at him, eyes wide.

"You've been pushing me away every time I try to help you. You're nothing but talk, Tyson."

"Oh my god. this is not a fucking competition," Tyson said.

Kai went on, ignoring him. "What have you done for me since we got together?"

"This is not a competition!" Tyson shouted, shutting the other up for a minute. "Why is everything a challenge with you?" he asked in the same tone. "How can you just forget about stuff and pretend like they never happened just to win an argument?" His voice broke at the end of the statement. "How can you say that-"

"You don't eve-" Kai was starting to talk but Tyson interrupted him again, yelling at him at the top of his lungs. "This is not a competition, Kai!"

The room fell silent after that, the words echoing in the emptiness. The Dranzer-wielder closed his mouth, resolutely, observing the other boy, trying to reign in his anger. The doubts that had been circling around in both of their minds ever since this whole mess had begun, suppressed and overlooked, now surfaced with a vengeance. In Kai's case, he risked a world full of hurt to let Tyson into his heart. Fact was, once Kai devoted himself to something, he gave it his all, willing to sacrifice anything and everything for it, and it'd been so long since he let a person get close to him like that. He knew people came and left. There was nothing to assure someone would stick around forever, and with the kind of way Kai loved something, he was bound to get hurt.

He didn't want to be left devastated when the person eventually went out of his life, and he'd been protecting himself from making the mistake of falling for someone till Tyson had happened. The boy had barged into his life and barreled his way into his mind, and knocked so repeatedly at the defences around his heart, till he finally managed to break through and wriggle into a place Kai never wanted to give to anybody. It had happened against his will, but he still had the choice to leave Tyson before he did it to Kai, but Kai hadn't taken the chance. Instead he'd trusted Tyson to return the affection and love and embraced his presence in Kai's life, doing something he'd never been brave enough to do before. So when he listed the things he'd done out of affection for the boy, he hadn't been meaning to be petty, he had only been trying to make him see how much Tyson mattered to him. But it had backfired, and Tyson's response had hurt him, and now Kai felt this need to make the other suffer just as much as he was. It was all twisted into a suffocating ball in his chest and his jaw ached from how much he was clenching it.

Tyson, on the other hand, had been questioning Kai's actions since the day he'd kissed him in the training room. Kai, who was not into boys. Kai, who had never shown any signs of liking him, let alone being attracted to him. Kai, who seemed to despise sharing the same air with him. Kai, who all of a sudden, had shown an interest in Tyson in the romantic sense, right after his first defeat in the tournament. Coincidence? Tyson thought not. May be he hadn't seen through it earlier, because he had been thinking with his dick and not his brain. But now it appeared to become more and more apparent that it had all been a lie indeed. Yes, it was hard to believe, but all evidence pointed at that being the case. Kai had played him. Had been playing him since that evening. Tyson's heart was on the verge of breaking as he asked: "Tell me, why did you kiss me that day in the training room?"

Kai looked at the other boy. His eyes were huge and innocent, afraid of something, and his voice was so timid as he asked the question. Kai felt his heart split in two at the emotion in the other's orbs, distraught that Kai had put that there. But to know Tyson doubted his feelings made his blood boil, the fire of resentment coiling up his gut like a snake, eating him from the inside. He wanted to scream at the boy that he cared more about him than he did about himself. Why couldn't he see that? "You say you love me, but you don't trust me one bit," said Kai, tightened fists shaking at his sides.

"Well you-" Tyson looked away, wincing. He took a moment to think, licking his lips. "It's not that I don't trust you," Kai noticed the way the younger's voice shook as he spoke, "It's just that everything else points t-to the opposite."

"What do you mean 'everything else'?" Kai prodded.

"I know you messed with my blade, Kai, why cant you just admit it?" Tyson looked exasperated. "Why are you lying?"

"Fine" Kai said then, and Tyson froze. "Fine" he said again. "I sabotaged your blade," he continued speaking as Tyson stood there staring, eyes shining with betrayal, his mouth agape. He didn't actually think Kai would confess. Tyson hadn't fully believed his rival had really done it despite all of the proof, and to hear the Dranzer-wielder admit it out loud left him shell-shocked. "And I did do it so you would be out of the tournament, but not for my benefit."

Tyson didn't realize he was crying, till a hot, fat drop of tear fell onto his cheek. His heart was in pieces, but Kai's words still had him inquiring: "Then whose?"

"Yours"

"Mine?" His voice was small, chin quivering as Kai gathered pieces of him and put them back together, one by one.

"Tyson I don't want you to continue participating in this championship." The older teen's chest felt lighter the more he explained. Finally he was saying the right words. "It's dangerous. You've already been put in the hospital once, I don't want to see you in that condition again."

Tyson's gaze fell from Kai's to the ground. He'd seen the sincerity in the other's eyes as he'd spoken, the emotions there had been raw and they made him feel ashamed for having doubted Kai's intentions in the least. The older saw how affected Tyson was by his words, but he was still hurting. His insecurities still remained and Tyson was doing nothing to alleviate them. "How can I trust _you_ though?" he said.

Tyson looked up, incredulous. "Kai, is it still not clear?" He sounded offended and tired. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"Saying it isn't enough, Tyson. You must do something to show you mean your words or they just become empty."

"There you go again." The Dragoon-wielder wiped at his tears. "Acting like I never did anything for you, when I've proved time and time again just how much I care for you. So, I either love you or I don't at all? Why is it always extremes with you?"

"You don't even want to have sex with me," Kai blurted out what had been nagging at him for a while now. The thing was, Tyson talked about his feelings more than he showed. Considering how long he claimed he'd been pining for Kai, Tyson should have been a little more enthusiastic about the subject. When Kai had asked him for the first time, Tyson had outright declined his offer and it had not only surprised Kai but also knocked his ego down a notch. But when he'd shown zero interest in doing it with Kai on the night he'd turned sixteen, the thought had been planted firmly in Kai's head. What if Tyson was just a confused kid who craved affection and not romantic love?

"What?" Tyson was speechless for a moment, taken off guard by the sudden change of subject, mouth gaping as he sought for words. "Wh-who said that?" Kai's heart beat loud in his chest. Tyson gulped, awkward and nervous at once. "Of course I want to!" he exclaimed softly.

"Really?" Kai refused to believe him just like that. Tyson was always more talk than action when it came to things like this.

"Yes!" Tyson didn't understand why Kai didn't get it. He thought he'd made it clear enough. More than clear. His thirst for Kai was blatantly obvious. Wasn't it? Or may be -

Tyson thought back to the two times he'd gotten pretty close to the other boy, but hadn't gone all the way because he'd panicked he was too inexperienced for Kai. He'd thought Kai was probably embarrassed of him, but he didn't expect it to make the older teen feel like Tyson didn't want him. Hell, he wanted him so much it physically hurt sometimes.

He was about to elaborate on his answer when Kai determinedly strode forward and pulled him close by his waist, bringing their chests together. Tyson went still as he realized what Kai was planning to do. "Wait I-I-I didn't mean now." His body burned in all the places where it touched the Dranzer-wielder. Kai's gaze was fiery as he stared into Tyson's eyes, indignation and lust mixed into a blazing combo.

"Wait?" His rival challenged, silently passing the message that if Tyson told him to stop now it'd be confirmation of what he'd concluded of him earlier: that Tyson didn't want him that way. The younger could feel the palpitations of the other's heart through the fabric of their clothes against his right rib, hard and fast. The beats were so loud he could almost hear them. Their combined vibrations making his entire ribcage thrum. He wasn't ready, but he wanted it. He was scared, but he was more scared of losing Kai, so he gave in.

"No" Tyson breathed, his exhalation blowing over the older's face which was very close to his own. "I mean don't." The words were barely out of his mouth before they were muffled by Kai's lips wrapping around his. His kisses were rough and rushed because Kai was still mad, but nevertheless, they managed to light the dragon-blader's body on fire.

Tyson melted into Kai the way he always did, letting the Dranzer-wielder sort out the mess inside of him, reach into his mind and fill it with thoughts of Kai himself. The way chapped but soft lips moved against his own with certainty, strong hands enveloping him in a tight embrace, silk-like hair falling through his fingers. Every kiss was like a statement of truth uttered by Kai, and Tyson could feel the frustration in the other. The message he wanted to convey to the younger so badly.

There was a lump forming in the latter's throat as he opened his mouth and gave access to the older teen. Kai licked into Tyson, pressing their bodies even closer when the dragon-blader had thought they couldn't. Kai's hands traveled down Tyson's back, slow and hungry, to cup his butt cheeks. A whimper escaped the younger's mouth at the sensation, and Kai broke away from him a second later.

Before Tyson could ask why, a hand was put on his chest and he was pushed back onto the soft mattress of the bed that was right behind them. The Dragoon-wielder scooted back on his elbows as the other boy climbed over him on all fours. They ended up facing each other, Kai hovering over Tyson, who was balancing himself on the backs of his forearms. The room was silent save for their collectively laboured breaths as they were caught in a game of staredown. Tyson gulped as he looked back into Kai's deep purple eyes, his own shining with want, curiosity and excitement. Funny how their fight had technically stopped five minutes ago but it still felt like it hadn't, continuing in a different form of argument.

Somehow the deep stares they were exchanging felt more intense than kissing, evoking parts of Tyson he hadn't known existed. The latter closed his eyes in surrender as Kai brought up a hand to run his finger down the curves of Tyson's face. Kai's gaze was stuck on the way the younger's swollen lip caught on the tip of his index as he traced over it. The Dranzer-wielder smoothed his hand along the underside of Tyson's jaw, noting how pretty the boy looked with his head tipped back at that angle. He went up to the skin below the other's ear and back, holding Tyson's face between his thumb and the rest of his fingers and staring at him for a moment before drawing his pink, pouty mouth up into a sensual kiss.

Their anger evolved into an insatiable thirst for each other as their mouths sought for deeper satisfaction. Kai's fingertips ventured down the other boy's chest, past his abdomen, to rest on his belt buckle. Tyson felt anticipation build as Kai pulled the belt through its loop to loosen it around his hips. The Dranzer-wielder pushed further into the other's mouth, tongue lapping at every corner, sliding over the roof of Tyson's mouth as he unbuttoned the younger's jeans. Kai pulled back to ask Tyson for the last time if he wanted him to stop, his voice sounding horse and gravelly. Tyson vigorously shook his head no and Kai waited for a total of a fraction of a second before pulling the other's pants clean off, Tyson's elbows finally giving out under the weight and his head hitting the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh hello, how long has it been? I will be updating more often. Let's do this, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

I'm gonna take your dreams,

break them in two

Make you think there's only two colours

black and blue

 **Bellabeth**

 **NORMAL POV**

Hiro gazed at Tyson sitting across him with all the reprimanding force he was capable of putting into his expression. Their respective coffees steaming in soft swirls in front of them, untouched. Tyson sat back in his chair with a daring amount of petulance and disobedience, balancing himself on its two back legs, one of his boots pushing against the footrest under the table, eyes holding a secret challenge as he stared back at Hiro with his arms folded.

Tyson's usually dull pupils were in sharp focus today. They were as clear as the sky above the cafe they were in, deep brown and dark gold. His cheekbones stood out more than usual too, contrasting heavily against his sunken cheeks. He had his hood down, messy, cropped hair on full display.

"I can't believe you're still using,"said Hiro, his tone unreadable. "I thought you said you weren't addicted."

"I'm not", came Tyson's immediate reply, voice cold and defensive. Hiro's eyebrows jumped a bit as Tyson refused to say anything more, tongueing the inside of his right cheek, making his jaw protrude more.

"So it just happened to be lying around in your room, nobody was using it."

"I-" Tyson groaned, dropping his chair back in proper position. "It was just a little bit of weed. Why are you acting like it was such a big deal? Stop pretending like you care if I'm on drugs or got arrested for it."

"Keep your voice down," Hiro reminded Tyson when he raised his pitch a little high, causing a few other customers in the cafe turn their attention on them.

"Please, you don't care, " Tyson sneered. "Not unless it has anything to do with Brooklyn."

"What are you talking about?" Hiro asked warningly.

"I've seen the necklace, Hiro," Tyson said, mostly venomously, but slightly accusatory. He glanced down at his brother's neck once. Then twice. Instinctively the first time, expecting to find the locket resting against his collarbones, and surprised the second, to see it missing. It lingered where the necklace should have been. "Where is it?" Inquired Tyson, eyes wider, taken off guard.

Hiro glanced out the window they were sitting next to, scanning the cars moving sluggishly down the road. "It broke" he replied.

"...Oh"

Hiro could feel Tyson's gaze on the side of his face, studying him, and it was only slightly less overwhelming than the memories plaguing his mind. Tyson was going to ask more questions and Hiro knew it, so he quickly shut him down by turning back and asking him. "How'd you get arrested anyway?"

If Tyson noticed the sudden change in topic, he didn't comment on it. "Fucking Kai," he said, reaching his arms behind his head, curling his spine, and sliding further down in his seat. He sighed and slumped, bringing a palm on top of the table. He acknowledged the presence of the coffee on it for the first time since it was brought to them by the waiter.

"Did you just say Kai?" Hiro frowned, shocked to hear the name leave his brother's mouth again after a long time. He stared at Tyson for what seemed like ages before the other boy gave up his perusal of the Starbucks cup to address him.

"Yeah" he said simply, the corners of his mouth quirking up, but he wasn't smiling.

Hiro nodded, wondering exactly what Tyson meant. Kai got Tyson arrested? "Why'd he have your apartment searched?"

Tyson leaned forward and rubbed at his face with both hands. "I don't know, he probably called the cops to-" he stopped talking then, to look up at Hiro. He contemplated something for a minute before speaking again. "Hiro,"he said. "We need to talk."

"We're talking"

"I mean, not here. There's something I have to tell you."

Hiro considered Tyson's serious expression. His eyes were almost trying to convey a message to him. He honestly could not remember the last time Tyson was this interested in talking to him. Not since the fire. He tended to avoid him like the plague. Tyson usually stayed at the university dorms and Hiro lived with his fiancé in his apartment, and those two places weren't close enough for them to see each other often. They rarely did and when they did, Tyson bailed after a few minutes, afraid of confrontation. Hiro nodded and agreed. "Yeah, I guess I have something to tell you too."

* * *

Tyson fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon, drool pooling on his pillow where his face was mushed against the soft thing. He slept like someone who hadn't slept in over a week, completely out cold. He didn't stir. He barely moved at all, save the shallow rise and fall of his chest with each breath. The dorm room was hot and silent because of the April sun and he still had his jeans on, one leg clad in denim hanging off the side of the single bed.

The shrill ringing of Tyson's phone was loud and disturbed the peaceful quiet of the room. It rang for a good thirty seconds before stopping. And then it started again. Tyson woke with a jerk, eyes blinking blearily. Crust covered his lids and he tried to wipe that and the spit on the side of his cheek with his palms at the same time, trying to locate his phone with his eyes.

His hair was a mess as he sat up and finally spotted the cursed thing lying on the floor, still ringing. He was growing to hate his ringtone. Tyson snatched up the device and didn't even bother to glance at the caller's number before answering. "Who is it?" Tyson's voice came out scratchy. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Who is it?"

"Tyson?" Tyson's breath caught in his chest. "It's Ray"

Tyson clutched the phone harder against his ear, afraid it'd slip out of his grip. He hadn't heard from his friend in months. Ray currently resided in China, his hometown, where he ran his own noodle shop. He wasn't making much but he made enough to take care of himself. He called Tyson sporadically, just to check on him. Make sure he was still alive and breathing and not lying dead in a ditch somewhere. Ray's warm voice poured draughts of calm into Tyson's wildly beating heart, quieting the panic Ray himself had thrown it into in the way he always did with his words and presence.

"Hey, buddy" Tyson breathed into the receiver. He could almost see Ray smiling from all the way across the globe.

"Are you okay?" asked Ray, worry colouring his tone. "I heard you got arrested."

A frown formed between Tyson's brows. "You heard?"

"You know I watch CNN to keep up with the rest of the world," Ray explained. "This village is way too small. Nothing ever reaches here. You know it's the only reason I bought that telly." He paused for a breath. "Tyson, they showed it on the news."

"They did?" Tyson gaped slightly in astonishment. CNN cared enough about what he did to report on it?

"You may not be as big as used to be," Ray spoke with traces of a chuckle. "But your name is still too relevant in sport to let a news like that slide."

Tyson sucked in a gulp of air, not quite sure what to make of that piece of information yet. He found himself bracing for something anyway and he was right to do so because it prepared him for what Ray had to say next. "Drugs, Tyson?" Something heavily like disappoint laced his words. "Never took you for the type to turn to those."

"I-" Tyson found himself straining to explain his actions to his best friend, but Ray proved again why he had always been closer to Tyson than anyone else.

"I'm not saying I approve or that it's okay but at the same time I can't not say that I understand."

Tyson released the breath he was holding, feeling a lump forming in his throat. He knelt on the floor, staring at the beam of sunlight coming through the window quickly retreating from his room, listening to his friend speak into his ear in utter silence.

"Tyson," The heaviness in Ray's tone as he said his name made the lump in Tyson's throat ball itself into something impossible to bear. "I understand, buddy." Ray's voice broke, and so did Tyson's resolve. A single tear tore its way out of his right eye.

Tyson squeezed at his thigh with the free hand, now sitting in a shadowed room. He stood up, walking over to the window to look out at the grey, cloudy sky. His chin quivered as he tried at composure, tried to keep the sob begging to wrack through him deep inside where Ray couldn't hear. He spoke when Ray stayed quiet. "How are you?"

He picked up the sound of a sigh through the line. "I'm getting by," Ray said. "Definitely better than last year."

"I'm glad" said Tyson, and the words were so true. "I'm glad you're better, Ray. But I can't say the same for me. I'm worse if anything." Tyson lightly shook his head at the dull clouds. "I don't get any sleep these days."

And all the things that had been building up for the past several weeks finally caught up to him as he uttered the last sentence out loud. Getting confronted by the man who took his old life away from him, learning who he was and how much more he could still take from him. Running into the boy he loved and then hated, after years of trying to erase form his memory, and seeing the changes in him firsthand. The toll of not using for a few days took over his body in the form of withdrawal symptoms, and being sober brought the pain he always tried so hard to smother. That pain that lived deep within his gut and left him feeling hollowed out and cold. A big piece of him was amiss and the wound gaped more than ever before.

A sob escaped his lips as he opened them to ask. "When will it stop Ray?" And then he broke down, right in front of the window, phone pressed to his ear.

"Ty" Ray sounded like he was crying too as he tried to console him. Tried to find the words to tell him. "Buddy, listen."

"When will it stop, Ray?" Tyson asked through tears, teeth gritted together to keep the sobs at bay. He knocked his head against the glass and leaned onto it. "I try so hard to be positive, Ray. I try so, so hard to not feel the way I do all the time. It's why I take them." He paused to inhale. "Not for the high, not for the crash afterwards, but to make the pain stop for a while at least. I go to bed every night hoping," he gasped for air. " _Praying_ that it will be different in the morning. That tomorrow will be a better day. Tomorrow I would learn to move on but I-" His breath fogged against the glass, he placed a sweaty hand on the glass for support and it slid down a bit because they were clammy as fuck. He sobbed into the pane as he said. _"I can't move on, Ray."_

The room was filled with the quiet sounds of crying, hiccups and wheezing gasps.

"Ty-"

"How do you even move on from something like that?" Tyson rubbed vigorously at his face to get rid of the tears staining it. He hiccuped as he tried to regain some semblance of control, glaring at nothing in particular as he listened to Ray speak.

" _Ty"_ His voice was so gentle. Gentle as a feather as he attempted to reach his friend through the miles of distance separating them, and comfort him. "I know what you mean. I understand exactly what you mean. I'm going through the same thing. It feels like this everyday and sometimes it seems as though there is no end to this pain, and we're right to feel that way. The pain won't go away. It never will." Tyson hiccuped, eyes welling up again. "But at the same time, we have to know that it won't always feel the same. The pain will fade, Tyson. It will fade. It won't be so strong as it is now. It will slowly start dying and we'll learn to live again."

Tyson was crying again. But silently now. More controlled than before, but the harrowing in his chest was more ruthless this time. The heaviness almost becoming a physical thing.

"We'll learn how to live with it and not let it control so much of our lives. We'll never be as the same as we were as kids. We'll never be as perfectly happy and content but we'll do so much better than we are right now. This won't last either, Tyson. The pain will pass too. We'll get through this together. You and me, buddy."

Tyson nodded even though Ray couldn't see him, feeling himself regaining balance and composure, slowly but surely. He hiccuped once more before he was able to speak again. "Yeah, buddy. We'll make it together."

Ray smiled his first real smile in what seemed like ages from miles away. "Together"

* * *

Kai exited the elevator, hands in his pockets, head in a mess. Eyes mindlessly tracking his own feet cross the empty floor to his office at the end of it. His body was all taut with tension and frustration. He hadn't taken the possibility that Tyson might be in possession of illegal substances into consideration when he'd dialled the cops and asked for protection for all the former bladers that were currently present in the country, tipping them off that a fresh criminal was prowling their streets.

He exhaled a long suffering sigh as he pushed the door to his office open, gaze downcast. The lights in the room were dull since it was way past midnight, nobody was supposed to be in the whole building at this hour. Kai was still in no mood to go back to his hotel. He wanted to get his mind off the place where it was at the moment – worrying incessantly over Tyson. He didn't bother looking up even as he shed his jacket on the couch on one side of the room. He was in the process of unbuttoning his cuffs when he heard a sound. A sound like someone shifting on his leather chair behind his desk. He froze, body going alert.

Kai fixed his gaze on the stretch of white wall facing him, throat bobbing up and down as he gulped. His mind provided very helpful images of himself being chased down a dark alleyway like a rat, the width and height of the man that had straightened in front of Kai the night before, and other useful things. He slowly and willingly resumed breathing. Steadily. Calmly. Full of courage he didn't know he had in him, Kai turned around to look toward his desk.

He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it certainly was not this. Kai's shoulders eased, fingers falling from his cuffs as he gazed back at the figure lounging in his seat like he owned it. He snorted to his own surprise. His heart beat even and strong as he took in the mask and the clothes on the other man. "Does it actually work?" asked Kai, his tone perfectly levelled and slightly mocking.

Kai's eyebrows jumped up a bit as the masked figure answered. "Always" His voice came out distorted and broken. A growl of a bear more than the deep voice of a man. Kai wondered what kind of technology he was using to make himself sound that way. "But _not_ on you. I'm surprised."

Kai;s head tilted as he scanned every inch of the other that he could see from head to toe. "Take it off," said Kai. "Or are you too afraid to show your real face?"

He made one last strange sound before he reached one pale hand up and pulled off his mask completely, revealing more pale skin. Kai noticed his eyes first, a peculiar shade of blue, one he'd never seen before. The man held his stare evenly, daring him to look away first. Kai did not rise to it, quickly moving his own away to take in the rest of him. His skin was paper white, the colour of frost, a broad nose taking most of his face. Whitish gold brows sat beneath his wide forehead, which was crowned by a widow's peak, the lightest shade of blonde hair falling down in long sheets to frame his defined jaw. His mouth curled in a thin, cruel line as he smiled toothlessly at Kai.

Unmarred by scars, his flawless platinum face somehow managed to look more intimidating than the fake one with gashes and hanging skin he'd hidden it under. He rose from his seat to slowly stalk his way around the desk. Kai remained where he was, sizing the other up. He was taller than Kai certainly, but not by much, his shoulders on the other hand were infinitely broader, making the CEO seem much smaller in comparison. His entire body was covered by tight, black, woollen-looking fabric. He stopped a few feet away from Kai and he could clearly see the eight-pointed golden star lying in between his collarbones, showing Kai exactly whom he was associated with. "Satisfied, Hiwatari?" he asked in a voice not broken or raspy, but smooth and deep. Terrifying for real this time. It carried a chilly quality to it that made Kai's skin break out in goosebumps.

"Very" It would've sounded more brazen if Kai hadn't swallowed once, exposing his nervousness through the action. The other's gaze fell towards the motion of his throat. Kai breathed out. "If you're here to kill me," he continued. " _Please_ , don't hesitate."

"Not in my nature, Hiwatari" He spoke in an odd manner. His lips barely moved to form the words as he uttered them, body so still as if there was no life inside it. And his eyes looked simply empty. "I'm not here to kill you. You're no use to me dead."

"I'm no use to you anyway." Kai folded his arms, feeling bolder now for some reason. May be because he said he wasn't going to do him in right this second. "What makes you think I'll help you? Hm? What makes you think I'm not going to call the cops on you and have you behind bars in a few minutes?"

"Because you won't." He was right. Kai was not going to call the cops on him, because if he'd managed to get past all the security manning the building and evade police till now, he could easily get away again. Kai found it interesting that he really had no accent. Did they train these people to speak English without any accent? Probably. He was brought out of that train of thought by the Russian as he finally shifted, a miniscule movement, puffing his chest out before saying, "You show no fear. I'm impressed."

Kai lifted a pointed eyebrow at the remark.

"It's the blood that runs through your veins, brother."

That surprised him further, so much that he blurted out. _"Brother?"_

The other's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You are not aware of your grandmother's history?" Some vague emotion coloured his voice for the first time as he questioned.

Kai wondered how much this man knew about him, what dirt he had on him. How much power he had over him besides physical. "She may have been linked to you lowlifes by blood, but she was not a part of your family at all."

"She left us," he agreed. "But sadly you cannot cut your family off. She was ours. And so are you."

Kai actually took a step back, repulsed. Like hell he was one of their kind. In what dimension did this brute think Kai was like him? With what brain? Kai shook his head. "No"

" _Yes"_ He insisted.

Kai did not want to turn his back on the Russian goon, but he had no choice as his own feet carried him away from the things coming out of the other man's mouth. He walked over to his desk and paused for a moment to collect his bearings before turning around and leaning against it like he wasn't bothered by the killer's presence in the room.

"Relax" said the mass murderer, who seemed to have followed Kai around the room with his eyes. "I'm not asking you to come join us or start killing people." Kai snorted involuntarily, rolling one of his sleeves up absentmindedly as he observed him.

"I'm not going to help you," Kai said very clearly, enunciating each word to show he meant every single one.

The mobster cocked his head. "Even if it benefits you too?"

"Exactly" Kai stated.

He observed Kai for a moment, searching his entire profile for something. "Kai," he said his actual name for the first time and the way it rolled off his tongue extracted a grimace from the CEO. "I know you want Alistair King gone. You may not want to kill him per se, but you want to destroy him. Crush his empire, take everything he ever treasured away from him the way he did from you. I want the same too, just in a different way."

Kai narrowed his eyes at the man. He wondered what he had against King. He stood with his arms folded, jaw set tight. So he knew about Kai's hatred of the Petronarch and Alistair King. What else did he know about him, Kai tried to guess. "I can do it on my own. I don't need anybody's assistance. Especially not yours or that of your people."

"But you can't," he said with something unreadable but heavy in his gaze. "He's way more powerful than you know."

"What do you mean?"

"You just don't have the _means_ to get to someone like King." The Russian was hinting at something but Kai had no idea what. "He's been playing all kinds of dangerous games for a long time, Kai. You're new to this. He's not. He's a veteran. He has years of experience and more over you. You'll only play yourself into his hands by trying to take him on all alone."

Kai found himself considering the other man's words. He uncrossed his arms to stuff them in his pockets instead, looking away from the mobster. Trying to think before he realized what he was doing. Thinking of working with a criminal organisation _._ "Whatever you have to say, my answer is a firm no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" Kai gulped.

"One hundred percent, Kai?"

Kai pursed his mouth. "One hundred percent."

"Okay" The mobster hadn't taken his gaze away from Kai once during this whole encounter, and he didn't do it even when he suddenly moved a hand to reach into one of his pockets. A teasing glint lit his eyes from the inside as he pulled a paper-like object from it. He held it up for Kai to see. The object was indeed made of white paper, in the shape of a rectangle. Kai raised his eyebrows at him.

Kai was about to open his mouth to make a goading comment when the other turned the object in his hand and had his breath punched out of him. The man smirked. "Let's try that again, shall we?"

Kai stared at the photograph of Tyson in the Russian's hand. In the photo displaying only his upper body, Tyson was wearing a large black hoodie with its hood pulled up, wisps of black hair had snuck out from under it and flew about his face as he looked over his shoulder, mouth opened as if he was calling out to someone behind him. The picture looked recent and Kai's heartrate skyrocketed.

"I believe you know this boy." He tapped a finger against it. "Tyson Granger. Sophomore at New York University. One of their top athletes and former three time world beyblade champion." He went quiet for a second as he appeared to contemplate, bringing the back of the thin photograph to his bottom lip. "You played that sport with him too, didn't you?"

Kai took in a steadying breath, trying to appear casual, as though he wasn't affected by the mere sight of Tyson's picture in the murderer's clutch. It was blatantly apparent the man had done his research on both Tyson and Kai, and if he knew about their past history, then he obviously knew they'd been romantically involved too. He was planning to blackmail Kai into working with him. Kai desperately attempted to find a way out of this situation.

"I know you did," The man went on as Kai remained silent. "Pretty boy, isn't he?" Kai's gaze shot up to the mobster as he studied the picture in great detail. There was even a slight furrow between his brows as he looked Tyson over. "Beautiful eyes and physique. I only enjoy women myself, but this boy is certainly making me feel some type of way." Kai understood that he was trying to get a rise out of him. He stood his ground as the other continued gleefully. "It'd be a shame to slit his throat." He looked up, meeting Kai's glare. "A waste of beauty, don't you think?"

Kai almost gave in, his heart rattling in his chest at the threat. "I will not," Kai repeated again. "help you, no matter what you do."

"You _sure?_ " He challenged, flinging the picture on the floor by Kai's feet. He stepped over it as he prowled closer to Kai. He stopped a hairsbreath away. "I can almost hear your heart _begging_ me to not go after him. You're not a good liar, brother. None of us are."

Kai inhaled a sharp breath. "I know how you lot work. Once you get in, there's no way to get out."

"But I work alone," he promised. "In case you didn't notice, I don't have men backing me up. It's just me. I have no associates with me this time." He paused before saying. "Except you"

Kai refused to speak, fearing he might agree to what the crazy man was suggesting. He pushed on nevertheless, persuading Kai into a partnership. "We have a shared goal. Together we can get rid of King. Alone, you will die and along the way, your boy toy most probably will too. You work with me? You win, I win and your pretty boy lives."

Kai found himself consenting to his plan. He knew he was losing his mind agreeing to work with a mobster that he should be attempting to put behind bars instead. Kai thought about it, and he saw that it would be wiser to go with the motherfucker's idea than turn him down. He'll kill Tyson if he didn't. He saw it in his eyes, they promised death. Kai resolved to work with him to take down King and then take the Russian himself down after.

He drew air into his lungs, having made up his mind. "You will not touch a _hair_ on Tyson's body," he warned the other man, who smiled in response.

"Agreed"

* * *

 **Author's notes** : I will try and get another chapter out next week. Here's hoping I do. I haven't written in a while so I'm a bit rusty. Reviews are much appreciated because it lets me know someone is actually reading. It encourages me and makes me write quicker. So yeah, don't forget to leave a review. Make a girl feel precious, why don't you?


	6. Chapter 6

Yes, it's moi. Ignore me and just start reading. Author's notes at the end of the chapter.

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

Oh baby, don't you know I suffer?

Oh baby, can you hear me moan?

You caught me under false pretenses

How long before you let me go?

 **Muse**

 **NORMAL POV**

"Ty?" Mike called from the doorway, one foot out in the hallway. Tyson grunted, lying on his back on the bed. "Try and get some sleep, alright? I'll be back in the morning."

"Bye bye" Tyson bid him a goodnight, not bothering to raise his head and look at his roommate as he spent a moment just staring at Tyson. Michael was on his way over to his girlfriend's place after having spent an hour with the other boy, cleaning their room and getting rid of all sorts of problematic substances they had in it. Imagine the surprise the two had been in when they'd opened the front door early that morning to find a couple of cops standing outside demanding they be let in so they could make sure their room wasn't rigged with wire taps or hidden cameras. Somebody had called for their protection, claiming a suspected perpetrator behind the the stadium fire two years ago was back for the blader survivors. The city police were already on the hunt for the criminal.

But when they searched the room they didn't find what they were looking for instead they found a drawer of pot. Tyson and Mike had still been in their undergarments when they were arrested, teeth unbrushed and hearts aflutter. Hiro Granger had come to bail them out after Tyson called him from jail, but by that time the media had already caught wind of the events. Their discombobulated faces had made the eight o'clock news.

The police had no clue the mafia was involved in the attack or that the criminal in the city was one of the core members, Kai hadn't told them much. Tyson had found out that they only knew that a suspect was in the country and he was after the remaining bladers by nagging the cops guarding their cell. The media only knew about the arrest but had no idea why they'd searched his room to begin with.

Michael wished him a good night and stepped out, clicking the door shut after him. Tyson eyed the ceiling, the dim lights casting shadows on his face. Tyson turned them off and plugged his earbuds in. Chill, low-fi music started playing and he closed his eyes against the soft moonlight streaming in through the window next to the bed, tuning out the world around him. He breathed in even and deep, one arm pillowing his head and the other on his stomach. He had thrown his jacket off somewhere in the midst of turning the place upside down in search of troublesome shit. Tyson lay in his grey sleeveless tee and worn out jeans.

The quiet night and the music wrapped around him like a blanket, calming his aching heart and hushing the chaotic thoughts in his mind. His head was clear and Tyson revisited the conversation he had had with Hiro earlier that day. His brother had listened extremely patiently, and the judgement that Tyson had expected from Hiro hadn't appeared once while Tyson was talking. Hiro had sat in a chair in front of Tyson, elbows propped on his knees, fingers loosely laced as Tyson had spilled his guts out to his brother about the Russian man. When he had mentioned the mafia, Hiro's eyes had widened but that was all the reaction Tyson got for that. It was when he'd gotten to the part about running into Kai again that Hiro had stiffened, tightening his jaw in disapproval.

Hiro had told him to keep the information to himself and not babble about it to anyone else, to which Tyson had angrily bit back, saying that's exactly what he'd been doing all this time. Hiro had interesting stuff to tell him as well. Mainly that the earring Hiro had been wearing around his neck on a chain had not actually been an earring. Or they were but the jewels used to make them had been some sort of chemical substance that had fragmented when Hiro had sunken his teeth into it. Tyson had looked at Hiro funnily when he told him he'd bit the gem. Whatever chemical liquid that had been present inside had turned into vapours at the first contact of heat and had caused Hiro to hallucinate. Hiro had further said that the hallucination had made him revisit the day of Brooklyn's death. He'd said he had seen something he'd missed before and he was planning to look more into the events of that evening. Brooklyn had always been a tricky bastard, Hiro was sure Brooklyn had pulled one of his crazy stunts again.

To that, Tyson had asked Hiro if he thought Brooklyn was not dead and Hiro had said yes. Yes, he was not dead. May be not alive, but definitely not dead. Tyson had replied that it made no sense and Hiro said he'd explain it to him once he'd found out more about it.

Tyson wondered about Brooklyn. If he was not dead then where was he and what was he doing? Was he okay? Was he happy? Was he still searching for lost friends like Hiro? Hiro, who loved Brooklyn more than he realized. Hiro, who loved Brooklyn enough to reopen his old wounds and cut them afresh if it meant he could bring him back.

Tyson opened his eyes to gaze at the ceiling bathed in a sliver glow. The relaxing beats lulled his thoughts to a slower pace, Tyson's chest rose and fell in a slower one. Time seemed to have stopped moving completely as the night stretched on endlessly, one seam of thought connecting into the next. Sleep was nowhere within his reach as he sought for it and came up empty each time. The dorm was shrouded in a serene silence, everyone either in the hold of tight slumber or tighter deadlines. Tyson was in no mood for assignments though he had plenty stacked on his table just waiting for him.

Time sneaked by, countless number of songs began and ended as his playlist neared the end, and deep in the darkness of the night, during the quietest part of it, the point where students doing their homeworks or writing their essays started giving into their tiredness and began falling asleep on their desks, unbeknownst to none except the most hidden recesses of his heart, Tyson allowed his thoughts to find Kai. Somewhere between the hurt and the sorrow, Tyson still had Kai's smile tucked in safe. For no reason other than it had made him feel _so_ much once. He now understood that what he'd felt for Kai had been an overestimated infatuation toward someone who possessed certain qualities he wanted for himself, but there were some good memories in there.

In his mind's eye, Tyson found that smile he treasured transforming into the one he'd grown accustomed to seeing on screens. The young features of the boy he had loved shifting into the defined ones of a man. He was still beautiful. More handsome than he'd been when he was seventeen. Kai filled the expensive clothes he donned now better than when they'd been forced on him by his deranged grandfather. He'd used to hate the prissy fits, Tyson wondered if he still did. If he still flung them off his torso as soon as he could the way he used to back when Tyson's world had been intact. Back when he'd been Tyson's world. He wondered. Wondered if his nape still smelled of the contrasting mixture of sweat and soap. If he still had a fondness for kittens. If he still bladed.

Tyson's brown eyes glittered in the moonlight.

The playlist reached its end and deafening silence replaced the music. Tyson blinked once, feeling like he'd left reality and was coming out of a trance. He propped an elbow on the bed and turned toward the table by its side to take his phone in hand. He checked the time and was not surprised to find it was already 3 am. He'd been lying sleepless for over four hours. Tyson was in the process of choosing another playlist of songs when it startled him by ringing loudly. Tyson blinked with wide eyes at the unknown number flashing on the screen. Who was calling him at this hour?

The number started with the same area code as his, so it wasn't somebody from home to call at ungodly times of the day. He cleared his throat once, wary of whose voice he might hear on the other end. His friend had surprised him earlier that day and that had been a pleasant one though a bit awkward. The phone continued ringing and Tyson pressed the green button to answer, bringing it to his ear with a deep intake of air.

"Hello?" He held his breath, bracing himself for something bad like the chilly voice of the Russian predator, but the person who said hi was still the last one he wanted to hear from at the moment.

A thunder started in his chest. He'd honestly rather talk to the murderer instead.

"Sorry to disturb you," said Kai. "But I got a call from this number to my old phone a few days ago and I was wondering if it was someone I knew. Not a lot of people had that number."

Tyson was stunned speechless. Kai really had chosen the worst time to call him, or may be the best time because Tyson was truly defenceless. In his most vulnerable state, thoughts naked and heart out on his sleeve. Said heart thumped away at a concerning speed, Tyson could almost hear it even as he listened to Kai speak. He considered hanging up again and keeping it switched off till he could change his number, before a realization dawned on him.

Kai didn't recognize his voice.

Tyson's voice had distinctly deepened since leaving Japan and it must have sounded even more unlike him through the phone. Tyson gulped once, refraining from clearing his throat again thinking it would help make him sound more unfamiliar. "Um, I'm sorry, but...who are you?" Tyson bit his lip, tangling fingers in his hair to keep his nervousness from being transmitted across the line.

There was a beat of silence in which Tyson proceeded to panic, drawing a palm down his face, tightening it around his jaw. Tyson regretted making the decision to call him for the hundredth time since the incident.

"Kai" he answered, then hesitated before elaborating. "Kai Hiwatari"

Tyson was chewing so hard on his lip he almost drew blood. He forced himself to release his lip from the torture, teeth dragging over it as he reluctantly did so. He closed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry but I don't know anyone named Kai." His face was once again hidden behind a hand as he prayed to God his tone hadn't inflected while pronouncing his name and given him away. He knew the name had an effect on him, he just hoped Kai didn't know that too as he heard him say it.

The bizarreness of the situation was not lost on Tyson. He wanted to hit his face with his palm repeatedly because what the fuck was he doing right now? He tried to imagine the embarrassment he'd feel if Kai did identify him after Tyson had clearly stated he didn't know him. He found out with horror that he couldn't. His drew his bottom lip into his mouth, listening intently for a snort of laughter or a sharp inhale of realization. He got none.

Instead Kai replied, "That's strange, because only a handful of people had my old number, and it's Japanese."

"I have a friend in Japan," Tyson immediately amended. "I was trying to call him a few days ago and I probably misdialled you." He nodded, impressed at his own lying skills. "I'm really sorry for any inconvenience caused."

"No, please, there was no inconvenience." They were so polite to each other, Tyson wanted to laugh. No, he wanted to cackle. "And if anybody is being inconvenienced by this whole thing, it's you. I'm extremely sorry for calling you so late. I did try to do it before but your phone was switched off for some reason." Kai paused for a moment and Tyson clutched at his pillow. "In fact I tried to call you as soon as you hung up."

Hung up, he said. Tyson sensed the danger in that idea and so he attempted to thwart it right away. "Oh um" Tyson let out a fake sheepish chuckle. " _You see_ , my phone died as soon as you picked up." Tyson was making gestures with his free hand in the dark. "That's probably why it was switched off when you tried to call me back."

Kai was silent for a moment. "You were unreachable for a while."

Well, yeah. That was because he hadn't dared to turn his mobile on after the incident, knowing Kai would probably try to reach him through it again. Like he was doing right now. He'd kept it off till the night he bumped into the man himself and forgotten about the little telephone fiasco. "I didn't own a charger." This was getting ridiculous. Why was he asking so many questions? "I just bought one today morning."

"Oh" There was a change in Kai's tone that Tyson picked up but couldn't understand. He stayed quiet for a beat before continuing speaking. "Well, I'm sorry again for disturbing you so late." He sounded genuinely upset. When did he become so empathetic? "It was a shitty thing to do."

"No, it's okay" Tyson reassured him. "I wasn't sleeping anyway," he said, then bit his tongue because he hadn't meant to tell Kai that. He cursed himself for the slip up, then sighed. " _It's fine_."

"Okay, then," said Kai. "Have a good night."

It was weird hearing the two words from Kai and Tyson got lost a little before he shook his head out of it and replied. "You too" He cut the call soon after and flopped back down on the bed, his phone discarded on the pillow next to him. He gazed up at the ceiling in shock over what had just transpired. Tyson blinked, feeling a hysterical laughter bubbling up his chest. The corners of his mouth were turning up in amusement and disbelief when the phone rang again.

 _What the fuck._

Tyson's pulse spiked, heart leaping to his throat as he glanced at the caller. Fuck his life. Seriously, fuck his life because the same digits as earlier flashed in his face. Tyson lamented for his pride quietly before accepting the call as well as his fate and bringing the speaker to his ear. He pressed his lips together, listening without saying anything.

"Tyson, I know it's you," Kai deadpanned and Tyson slapped the hand that had been itching to do it since he first answered him on his face. The slight sting was nothing compared to the absolute humiliation he was experiencing right now. Tyson grit his teeth and buried his stupid face into the pillow, willing the earth to swallow him whole. He did not want to deal with this.

Tyson silently screamed to get rid of some of the embarrassment before he tore his nose out of the soft cushion and spoke. "Yeah, it is me," he snapped. "So _what_?"

A soft snort reached his ear. He heard Kai inhale. "Nothing" he answered, voice disarmingly gentle in the night. Tyson shifted uncomfortably, back resting against the mattress, his heart refused to chill even though he wished it to. Tyson sensed the change in the atmosphere and he wanted to hang up more than ever. He was not ready to speak to Kai like this. Not in such a setting when the world around them was half asleep and everything felt quiet and private. "Why did you call me?"

Tyson blinked, eyelashes touching lightly. Once, twice. He drew in a breath. "To tell you what I told you when I saw you."

Kai was quiet once more. Tyson wondered why he was taking so long to speak. "Did you really not own a charger?" It should have been mocking, but for some reason, it wasn't. The way he posed the question wasn't meant to attack Tyson in any form at all and it made Tyson want to tell him the truth. Just an urge to be truthful towards the unassuming prodding rather than because of the truth itself which was bitter and against the attitude they were handling each other with at the moment. But he didn't because of the same reason. "No" he lied. "I didn't" Tyson noted that his tone had slipped to match Kai's on its own. Soft and friendly.

Kai took in an audible breath. "Tyson, can I see you?" He asked intimately, like the question had sprang from his chest rather than being a planned one. Like he hadn't meant to ask such a thing. The words were more of a whisper than a firm sound and as unguarded as Tyson was in that moment, he really couldn't find anything to answer Kai with other than a yes.

"When?" asked Tyson.

"Tomorrow?" Kai suggested. "Seven okay?"

"Okay" he whispered, stomach in knots. "Where?"

"I don't know the city that well," Kai confessed. "You choose."

Tyson gulped, feeling like his chest was about to explode. "There's a boba tea shop near my university. I'll text you the location."

"Okay"

Tyson swallowed air, Kai's exhales and his own the only sounds he could hear in the quiet space. The one relieving thing about this situation was that Kai couldn't see him when they talked, so he didn't have to school his expressions or bodily reactions other than his voice. It should have made talking to Kai easier, but it didn't, because Tyson was no good at keeping his feelings from affecting his speech, and Kai's discernible quietness whenever he said something told Tyson that he was paying attention to every intonation and hitch in Tyson's breath.

Kai wasn't speaking, so Tyson felt a pressing urge to fill the silence because otherwise they'd just be listening to each other breathe, and the idea didn't sit quite well with Tyson. He was about to say he needed to go back to bed when Kai beat him to it. "Why are you still awake?"

"Because I'm talking to you," Tyson sassed him as a reflex.

Kai's chuckle sounded right in Tyson's ear and it sent tingles down his spine. "No, I meant-"

"I know what you meant," Tyson cut him off. "I just..." he trailed off, unsure of how to complete the sentence. "...Couldn't sleep."

Kai's silence was profound this time and Tyson wondered if he knew about the arrest. Tyson squashed the unwelcome feeling that rose in his chest at the thought. "You should go to bed, Tyson," Kai said finally. "It's late." He paused. "Goodnight" he said, voice velvety as it flowed into his ear.

Tyson closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Kai," he said for the first time in years, cutting the call as soon as he did. He let the phone drop out of his hand and a loaded sigh tumbled out of him. His heart wouldn't steady, he was going to see Kai tomorrow evening. Tyson didn't get a wink of sleep that night.

* * *

" _So_ , how was prison?" His leering words made Tyson itch to push his smug face into the dirt till he got a nice mouthful. Tyson fisted his hands by his sides and reigned his anger in.

"Fuck off, Sean," he muttered through his teeth, going through his usual warm up routine before a run. They were at Moravian College for an invitational and Sean from the home team was really aiming to piss him off today. Tyson was naturally good at track and field sports, he had the speed and the stamina required for most events but he performed best at sprints. Men's 100 Meters would begin shortly and Tyson's nerves were shot. They made him take a fucking drug test before allowing him clearance to participate in the competition, like he wasn't the only athlete from NYU competing at Men's 100 Meters.

Tyson did a couple of toe touches and cursed himself for skipping two days of training. Tyson was on roll for two events today. The 100m and the 200m. He'd also be participating in the 4x100m relay but that was to be conducted tomorrow. The weather was hot and his jersey stuck to his torso as he sweated profusely under the April sun. Tyson bounced on his feet with zero chill as he looked around at the other players getting ready alongside him on the field.

He told himself to focus on the ruddy lane with the number '3' painted on ahead of him. The purple jersey clinging to him had the letters 'NYU' printed in large white characters on his chest. His body was in an overall okay condition today, but Tyson knew something was off. His head first and foremost felt a bit heavy as a result of not having properly slept for a week and a sleepless night before. He just hoped he came in at least third. His season stats looked pretty unimpressive so far yet the season had just started so he wasn't worried, but it still didn't mean he could just let this one go.

Tyson was in the process of envisioning himself winning bronze in his head when Sean decided to open his mouth again. "I'm glad they gave you a drug test today because that means we can finally have a fair race."

"The fuck are you talking about?" Tyson asked him, irritatedly turning towards Sean who was in the adjacent lane.

"I know you did so well last season because you were doped up every match. Let's see how well you do without it, Tyson Gay." Sean snorted like it was a funny joke irking Tyson to no end. That name really got under his nerves. Tyson never once competed while high and this jackass was over here associating him with an athlete known for doping. Tyson had made up his mind for bronze but now he just had to go for gold. He'll show Sean he could make him eat dust any day.

And all of a sudden it was go time. Tyson went into position, fingers on the track, braced on one knee, the other raised, head down. And just like before every game, it cleared completely, a single goal forming in his mind. The finish line. He had to cross it first. He had to.

Tyson kept his eyes closed, breathing shallowly, waiting for the shot to sound. He was on his feet and running at full speed before the go signal even fully registered with him. His muscles strained, burning up as he pushed further, the finish line the only thing he yearned to see. Tyson's heart hammered in his chest, pulse racing and sweat rolling. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, giving him the same high coke did, Tyson's breaths blew out of him in exhilarated puffs. He loved running. He loved the sport. If anyone were to ask Tyson if there was something he enjoyed doing these days, he wouldn't tell them about the one sport he played. He denied he enjoyed anything even to himself, but out on the track, feet flying over the coarse rubber, wind in his hair, he loved nothing more than running.

It happened right before he reached the white line drawn horizontally in front of him. Tyson was in the lead, sights set on his goal, just as he was within arms reach, a draft of wind rose up from the ground beneath him and smacked him in the face. Blinded for a moment, he panicked, legs still moving at the same breakneck speed. A wet, cold feeling consumed him, feet first, head last. He saw murky black around him and Tyson tried to slow down, but he couldn't. He kept running at maximum capacity, arms whipping back and forth along with the movement of his feet.

Tyson was paralyzed in motion and he stared in shock as he noticed a face taking shape within the dark fluid surrounding him. There, a meter or so away from him, two gaping holes with blue flame burning within them appeared. Huge blood red eyes formed next, the blood seeming to ooze out of its lids. More of the monster came into view and Tyson couldn't breathe, frozen in fear. The beast's features looked much like Dragoon's, but at the same time, it looked nothing like Dragoon. The monster blazed fiery and terrifying in front of Tyson, smoke pouring out of its nostrils, eyes boring into Tyson's soul. Once Tyson could make out its face perfectly, the beast lurked for a second longer before disappearing just as quickly as it had come.

The slimy sensation left Tyson's surroundings and the Moravian College ground swam back into view. The buzzing sound was sucked out of his ears and he could hear his friends' shouts of praises. He felt his teammates congratulating him, clapping him on his back and ruffling his hair. There were people all around him, his coach yelled something into his neck and he blinked at everything. His heart hammered away in his chest, his body shook, perspiration layering over his skin as he tried to put the last three seconds together and make sense out of it. He couldn't. No matter how much he tried and the beast's eyes glared at him from the back of his lids each time he blinked.

* * *

A/N: *nervous laughter* You guys are all so sweet. Thank you for the support, you're gonna make me cry. I will finish this story and thank you for all the encouraging words, they truly touched my heart. Thank you. The next chapters will be longer, I just wanted to get this one out sooner because the last one was pretty...unsatisfactory I guess? So I just wanted to give you something to read further. Next chapter will be out soon and more plot development will follow. I had fun writing this chapter and I hope you had fun reading it. Don't forget to leave a review. Love you all.


	7. Chapter 7

I was not planning to update tonight but dinner is served. Come eat.

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

The brightness of the sun, will give me just enough

To bury my love, in the moondust

I long to hear your voice, but still I make the choice

To bury my love, in the moondust

 **Jaymes Young**

Tyson walked into his room, exhausted and sweaty. He shut the door behind him, going to the table right by it to grab a bottle of water that had probably been left there by Mike. Tyson gulped down the contents of it quickly, thirsty after having spent a whole day running around, on and off track. He'd medalled at all the competitions he'd taken part in at the two-day invitational. The 4x100m relay had been quite..exciting. Nerve-wracking. They'd gotten a weak start, putting pressure on the rest of the team. Tyson had been the finisher and had a full tank of energy since he hadn't been a part of any other events today. The second and third runners had done a good job of making up for their shortcoming at the beginning, but they only had whatever was left of their stamina after using it for other events, so Tyson had to pull through for them all. And he had. He'd gotten them gold. No beast sighting either.

He'd only been confronted by the monster once, during his first race the day before, and nothing after that. Tyson was glad. So glad. He wasn't superhuman to deal with all sorts of taxing shit at the same time and still be expected to do his best. Tyson lowered the bottle from his lips, noticing a slight tremble in the arm holding it. He crushed the plastic and dropped it in the waste basket nearby, heading toward the shower. He stripped out of his blazer and jersey, shedding the bottoms as well and stepping under the shower head. He turned the water on and let out a long groan as the cold water beat down onto his face and torso, washing away the sweat and dirt and taking his tiredness away with it all as well.

Tyson tilted his chin to look out the window on his right. The sun was going down, painting the sky pink and orange. He'd checked the time right before coming home. Six in the evening. It was probably fifteen past by now. Tyson scrubbed at his arms with soap, humming lightly to himself. He focused on the soap bubbles going down the drain, may be he could scrub his past away just like the dirt on his body. May be he could skip the meeting he'd arranged with Kai and pretend the phone call had never happened in the first place. Let the soap wash away his memories too.

Tyson came out of the bathroom smelling clean and fresh, a towel tied around his hips, water dripping from his hair. He threw the closet open after switching all the lights in the room on, the walls reflecting bright yellow light. He bent to tug a pair of briefs on, eyes on the clothes in front of him, tongue in cheek. Tyson straightened, gaze narrowing bitterly at the shirts, angry toward the inanimate things for some reason. He eyed all the different shades of grey and black hanging in the closet, considering wearing each one of them and then shaking his head right after. He was mad he was being made to do this. He had no one to blame but himself for this predicament and that sucked even more that having to pick out clothes to wear to meet Kai.

Tyson rotated one big toe, hands on hips, searching for some reason to not go. He'd take any at this point. He glanced at the clock and squeezed at the back of his neck with a hand. It was already six fucking thirty. He had to step out at forty-five at the least to make it on time. Some part of Tyson rebelled and suggested he say fuck it and not go, but the more rational part him told him it would be wiser to do so because Kai probably had a good reason for asking to talk.

Right

Come on, Tyson, go meet the bro you hadn't seen in over two years. It was not a big deal. Except you'd both slept together and you hadn't heard from him since. Till now.

Some bro Kai was.

Tyson's gut filled with indignation and resentment. Kai hadn't even called after the fire to ask if any of them were fucking okay. How fucking cold and heartless. Tyson didn't want to meet him for drinks, he wanted to punch his stupid stony face in. That face that never displayed much emotion, dead just like the rest of him. Except Kai wasn't dead inside, he blazed hotter than the sun. Tyson knew that but at the moment he couldn't recall that particular information.

The minute hand of the clock crossed forty and Tyson finally settled on a bland black shirt, hooded jacket and jeans. He strapped a watch around his wrist, reading the time and locking his jaw. He took one look at the mirror to remind himself to be civil. Not that he lacked proper manners and social etiquette but Kai had a way of pressing all of his wrong buttons and making him flip out. He found his own eyes in the reflection and at the last moment decided to sniff a little.

Tyson strode over to the drawers on the side of his study table, kneeling down to slide the last one open. He grabbed a pen from the table and pushed it through a whole underneath the wooden bottom of the drawer to raise the fake bottom. He held the wood up with his fingers and let go of the pen, prising it open to shove a hand in and take one of the packets filled with white powder out. He studied the label on the one in his grip and was pleased to see he'd picked right.

He quickly moved the papers on his desk out of the way to set it up. Within a minute he had three lines of coke ready, unsteady but neat enough. Tyson did not even pause to second-guess his actions before bending down over them.

* * *

Tyson had texted Kai the address of the bubble tea shop he'd told him about earlier. The sky had turned a deep blue by the time he reached the shop. Tyson pulled the door open, bracing himself for a second before entering and looking around the cosy decorated space. He'd picked this certain location because the atmosphere here always put him at ease. The interior of the establishment had been divided in two at the centre, he couldn't spot Kai anywhere in the first room so he ventured to the next.

Rounding the potted plant placed by the wall separating the two rooms, Tyson whipped his head from the storefront to the back, eyes finding Kai seated at the last table at the rear. He had a white dress shirt on, sleeves rolled up, a couple buttons popped at the collar. A lock of hair curled over his forehead as he had his head down, his attention on something in his lap. Shiny shoes greeted Tyson from under the table, he had his feet crossed, legs stretched out in front of him in a long black line. Tyson closed his eyes and took a deep breath, tightening the fists in his pockets.

He strode forward, reaching fingers up to pull his hood back. He was in the action when Kai's gaze suddenly wandered up and settled directly on him. Purple met brown and Tyson's steps faltered for a split second. Such a small inconsequential thing to pause in your movements, but it spoke to Tyson of the effect Kai had on him, aggravating Tyson in no small amounts. Kai stared without blinking and Tyson had to force his own gaze away to continue moving, to keep walking, to peel the fabric from his head.

Tyson dropped into the chair opposite Kai, spreading his legs out as Kai withdrew his own to sit up straight. Tyson slouched, eyeing the table for a moment before drawing his gaze up to meet Kai's observant one. The chatter in the shop were almost inaudible where they were seated, so far back only a low murmur and the soft music playing from somewhere inside reached them. Kai opened his mouth to say "hey" and the cocaine he'd snorted earlier finally kicked in, awashing Tyson's brain in a haze of euphoria.

As the effects began to fully take him under, Tyson noticed Kai's eyes made him less anxious and more excited. His ever-perplexing gaze growing more appealing by the fractions of the second, the sharpness of Kai's handsome features tickling his pleasure centers more awake. And suddenly this meeting was something he'd anticipated eagerly and not with dread.

Tyson held his gaze steadily, teasingly, licking over his lips once and sniffing before greeting him back, mouth even curving upwards in a small smile as he let the word roll past his tongue.

* * *

To say that Tyson looked good would have been an understatement. He glowed under the fancy lighting of the shop, gaze hooded, smile ensnaring. Kai couldn't help but rake his gaze all over Tyson's face, so new, so familiar. He'd grown much over the past few years it seemed, he still had a boyish charm to him, a subtle hint of softness to his strong features. He was lean, the jacket moulding around the shape of him attractively, the gold of his neck highlighted by the black colour of his clothes. He was breathtaking. Kai ached inside.

"Why'd you wanna see me?" asked Tyson, a smirk playing at his lips. He kept them red and glistening, tonguing at them every few seconds.

Kai looked away to wave a waiter over, taking his time to answer. He replaced the phone from his lap to the table. "Simply" he replied. "We haven't talked in a while."

Something glinted dark in Tyson's stare, before he batted his lashes and it was gone. A waitress reached their table and Kai ordered a bland cup of coffee, while Tyson requested the 'usual'. He probably frequented the establishment often. "True" Tyson sighed as he settled back in his seat once the waitress moved away. "We haven't" Kai tensed for a bite in his words but he got none. He was instead met with casual nonchalance, like Tyson wasn't bothered by that fact. Or anything for that matter. Kai found it curious.

The Tyson he knew would have never waved it off like that. He'd have shouted, whined and pouted over it for days, weeks even, till Kai made up for his actions satisfactorily. His mouth drew thin.

"Thanks for getting rid of the cops you put outside my building," Tyson said wryly. "Mike couldn't sit still in the room while they were out there."

"Listen, I'm sorry for the arrest," Kai apologized. "I didn't know you were-" He paused, searching for the right words, mouth moving over unsaid ones. "That you were in possession of such... substances."

Tyson lifted his eyebrows at him once, cocking his head. "It's college, Kai. Everyone's got joints under their pillows." The drinks arrived. "Thanks for taking the cops off though we were moving soon anyway."

"Moving where?"

"To our frat house," he stated. "A couple of brothers dropped out recently, we can finally shift into the empty rooms."

Kai picked up his coffee as he learned Tyson was a frat member too. He didn't know why he was surprised. Tyson Granger, world champ. Tyson Granger, party boy and top jock. Kai exhaled an amused breath into his cup, before taking a sip. He put it down with both hands wrapped around it. "New York University, huh?" He glanced up at him as he asked. "How did that happen?" He really wanted to know.

Tyson nursed his bubble tea, chin tilted downward. "Max and I came here together. His mom made him join, so I enrolled with him." His tight-lipped reply told Kai he was uncomfortable with the subject. "Couldn't leave him alone."

"Max goes there too?"

Tyson nodded, still hiding half his face behind the glass. He drank straight from the cup, avoiding the straw sticking out its side, poking his cheek. "They all do," he sighed, bringing the drink back to the table, drawing the straw out and discarding it beside the glass after sucking on the wet end coated with tea. He finally met his gaze again. "The whole PPB gang's at one place," he said. "Except for Rick of course."

"That's nice" Kai felt the awkwardness that had been pressing to enter their interaction since it started make its full presence known as he ransacked his brain for a change of topic, some way to keep the conversation going. He wasn't much of a talker. He never was but Tyson didn't seem to be too keen on helping him out either.

Tyson dusted his hands on his lap, shaking something off himself before zoning in on Kai. He seemed to be acting stranger than the situation called for. "How's business?" he asked, tone a bit too bright. "I mean...you own your grandpa's company now." He shrugged.

"Good" Kai told him. "It's um...everything's good. We're currently working on a new project."

"Fascinating" Tyson commented, bringing the cup to his mouth to take a long draught. Kai thought he was going to ask about beyblade which was the project he'd just mentioned, but surprisingly he didn't, instead giving Kai a forced smile as he lowered the tea back down.

"How's Hiro?" The awkwardness was reaching painful levels as Kai fought to keep the conversation going.

"With his fiancée," Tyson answered, mouth twisted to one side. "He's great. Coaching kids at a gymnastics club."

Kai nodded too, eyes running all over Tyson again. "How are you?" he inquired with his heart lodged in his throat. The boy had gone through enough shit to last him a lifetime. Kai knew Tyson was strong, stronger than most people, but he was human too. How was he dealing with all of the things that had happened? Kai noticed the subtle dark circles under Tyson's eyes for the first time as he looked up startled by the question. He also noted the small cut on the side of his forehead, almost concealed beneath his messy hair, brown and crusted over. His cheeks looked too shallow, making his eyes look bigger and more doe-like. A frightened doe.

"I-" Tyson stumbled, looking unsure for a moment, the nonchalance finally falling off his demeanour as he observed Kai. "I'm fine," he said, sounding anything but fine. He cursed under his breath immediately, cutting his gaze and reaching for the boba.

The thing Kai felt for Tyson in his heart was terrifying. Truly. He'd gone without smiling genuinely for years and one word from Tyson, just him being him, had had Kai grinning like a fool the other night. It had felt good to talk to him, Tyson had almost been like his old self during the phone call, reminding Kai once again just how much he missed him. But he felt his own mood plummeting now as Tyson's dimmed a little. His heart knocking against his chest as he took in the fists Tyson made on either sides of his glass as frustration basically poured off him in waves. Tyson was annoyed with himself.

Kai's hands itched to grab hold of the other's fists, tell him it was okay. Tell him everything was going to be alright. Tell him he'd take care of him. Kai wished to take care of him so badly. Tyson's eyes suddenly snapped up at him and he found out why as he saw his own hand a few centimeters away from one of Tyson's. He'd reached out for him unconsciously. Kai quickly retracted his arm and leaned back in his chair, putting distance between them. Tyson stared back at him with stealy eyes as he looked ready to bolt any moment. "Sorry" Kai muttered.

A muscle ticked in Tyson's jaw. "Whatever" he said. Kai watched helplessly as the situation just worsened, he hadn't envisioned the meeting to go this way. Things had gone wrong at some point, he wished he knew when and what had caused it to go awry. Tyson straightened in his seat. "If that's all you wanted to see me for," he began, leaning forward as he went for his wallet. " _I_ really have to go-"

"No" Kai said before he was done with his sentence.

Tyson considered him curiously, lingering on the edge of his chair. "No?" He still pulled the wallet out of his back pocket and placed it by his unfinished drink.

Kai sighed, giving up on small talk and plunging head first into a difficult topic. He was better with those anyway. "I met him last night."

"Whom?" Tyson asked, eyes wide and mouth falling it to a natural pout as he did so.

Kai looked around at the rest of the customers in the store before turning to Tyson again. "The Russian," he said, his tone conversational. Tyson might as well have jumped out of his skin at his answer.

"We can't talk about that here," he hissed, almost draped over the table top as he hovered closer than he'd been to Kai all evening. The lapel of his jacket caught the lip of his glass and tipped it over. Tyson reeled back as he fussed over the light brown liquid sliding down the surface. He righted the glass and yanked a few tissues from the box on the table near the wall and tried to mop the spilled tea. Kai got the message.

"I know" he told Tyson as he continued vigorously wiping. He plucked a tissue and helped the other boy as he said, "I'm staying at a hotel-"

"I'm not coming with you to a hotel," Tyson cut him off, halting his actions and meeting Kai's gaze.

"Okay" Kai conceded, offering another option. "Do you mind coming to my office?" He raised both eyebrows. "It's probably the safest place in the city right now."

Tyson mulled over his suggestion as he balled up the tissues, done cleaning. "Fine" he said it as a sigh. "We'll go to your office."

* * *

He was developing quite a tolerance for cocaine. He should have been concerned, but he wasn't. Not yet anyway. Tyson trailed after Kai as the other opened the door and stepped out into the cool night. Tyson followed him out and closed his eyes for a second as he drew in a gulp of fresh air into his lungs. It did wonders for his nerves.

The nerves that shouldn't have been so prominent as he was supposed to be high, but Tyson felt better as they receded, his brain still flooded with dopamine. He smacked his lips once.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked him from the pavement as he slightly craned his neck to see Tyson who was standing on the steps of the boba shop.

His lids lifted to look at Kai. "Yes" he answered, then leaped down the stairs to start walking ahead of Kai, heading towards a posh black car he assumed to belong to the rich bastard behind him. It was parked under a street light. How juvenile. "Park your car under the light so nobody scratches your precious Aston Martin out of jealousy?" Tyson threw over his shoulder as they neared the vehicle.

It was a beauty.

Tyson whistled low as he stood next to the car that must have cost Kai a fortune. "You get to ride this thing around whenever you want huh?" he mused, not really expecting a reply. "Just casually," he said as he turned around to face Kai, who had stopped a bit too close to him. They stood under the bright yellow streetlight appraising each other for a good minute and Tyson did not even feel guilty about it though he had a feeling he might regret this later. Kai appeared lost in Tyson's eyes. Well, well, well, how the tables have turned.

They hadn't lied when they said coke made everything better. Damn, it had twisted his reality to the point he actually believed Kai was in the el, oh, vee, ee. Tyson let out a tiny amused giggle and Kai stiffened, digging in Tyson's eyes with his own for a moment longer before he brushed around him to open the door to the passenger seat and usher Tyson in.

If the car had looked impressive from the outside, it looked even better on the inside. The interiors were fucking mind-blowing and Tyson's mind was blown to the outer space. Life was so unfair, but it was good right now. Tyson couldn't shut his mouth as he gaped at the fancy things on the dashboard while melting into the seat. The Aston Martin fellas had probably made the seats out of stuff they'd stolen from heaven itself, puffs of clouds they were under Tyson's body.

Kai revved up the engine and Tyson would not be embarrassed to admit that he let out a gasp. He knew he had a stupid fucking grin on his face but who cared he was in fucking utopia. The sound the car made as it came to life made him want to moan but okay, calm down Tyson. It was just a car. A fucking mechanical piece of junk. Nothing to get excited over. Tyson schooled himself as Kai glanced over to him to check if he was okay or some shit. Who knew what type of thoughts circled in Kai's deranged head? Not Tyson.

They pulled out of the parking lot and Kai turned on the radio to smother the stifling silence. He was tuned in to some local radio station and The Weeknd was playing and the stereo was so good the music surrounded them like a blanket of deliciousness. If Tyson had been thinking coke just wasn't cutting it anymore and he needed something stronger, he wasn't now. He was drowning in euphoria.

The drive lasted a while and Tyson made some observations. "Your office is far from my campus," he noted in a blissed out voice. "You drove all the way out here for me?" He asked before he knew what he was saying. When he replayed his words in his head and sensed something mildly alarming about the way he'd phrased the question he twisted to look at Kai's reaction.

When Tyson had thought the interior of the million-dollar beauty was unparalleled earlier, he hadn't counted Kai into that equation. The sad truth was that the outrageously luxurious car suited Kai because sitting behind the wheel, driving with only one hand, the other loosely wrapped around the gear, he looked nothing short of exquisite. Tyson noticed how the light falling on Kai through the tinted wind shield accentuated the lines of him, the slate grey hair almost black in the shadows, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. His stare fell lower and was upset to see the thin fabric of Kai's dress shirt outlined his arm enough to show the way his muscles shifted underneath it as he made a turn. Tyson forced his gaze away, unable to recall why he'd even glanced at him.

"It was either me who had to make the journey or you," Kai answered. "Do you have a car?"

"No" Tyson told him. "But I have a bike."

"A bike?" Kai asked with faint wonder as the lights, the road and the trees zoomed past them.

"A motorbike" Tyson explained. "She's a beauty," he said with fondness in his voice, thinking of the mechanical beast Hiro had bought him on his birthday last year. "You should see her sometime." Words he never meant to say pried out of him by the sheer ambience inside the closed space.

* * *

Kai walked into the building assuming Tyson was following him, but had to pause in his tracks and make his way back to the other boy when he noticed him missing. Tyson was still frozen outside, mouth agape, neck stretching far back to try and spot where the skyscraper ended. Kai almost held his wrist before catching himself and talking to Tyson to get him moving again.

"Dude, how fucking tall is your building?" Tyson wanted to know. "Does it touch the sky?"

Kai knew Tyson was high. He'd noticed how wide the pupils of his eyes were under the glare of the streetlight they'd stood under earlier and he'd also noticed the way his own heart had splintered in two at the knowledge.

He managed to cart Tyson into the elevator, wondering when he'd crash. He didn't have a clue what the other must have taken and how much to remain high for such an extended period of time. He wondered if he'd been under the influence while they were still in the bubble tea shop. Kai itched to ask questions but he knew it would only result in Tyson closing up against him. He was already worried he might've coerced Tyson into taking the drugs.

Th elevator dinged and they stepped out onto the topmost floor. Kai led Tyson toward the room at the end of the long hallway housing his office. He let the door close behind him as Tyson sauntered further into the room, making straight for the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the skyline. "Wow" Kai heard him breathe into the glass, fogging it up as he almost pressed his nose against it.

"Tyson?" Kai called him, cautiously approaching his desk. He watched his shoulders tense and knew he'd come down from the high at some point of the long elevator ride.

"Where'd you see him?" asked Tyson, spinning around and settling his back against the window. Kai leaned his hip on the edge of the table as he read Tyson's gaze.

"Here" he told him and Tyson pulled his full weight onto his feet again.

"What?" He looked at Kai bewildered.

"Don't worry" Kai reassured him. "I have tightened the security since. Took all morning to make sure no one goes in or out without me knowing about it."

Tyson blinked at him slowly, like he didn't quite trust his words. He shuffled his feet and thrust his hands into his pockets, pushing out his bottom lip with his tongue. "And...what did he want?" Confused doe eyes were trained on him with full intensity.

Kai punched out a breath, already aware Tyson wasn't going to take this well. "Well, surprise he didn't want to kill me. He was here to ask for my help."

"Help?" Tyson sputtered, angry, his palms shooting up into the air. "He wanted your fucking _help_? For what?"

"To take down King," Kai elaborated with patience.

Tyson's mouth opened, but no sound came out. He appraised Kai with knowing eyes. They'd figured out the connections Kai's family had had with King together, sitting side by side in Voltaire's secret vault full of documents. Tyson was well informed of his past and the familiarity with which he looked at Kai was striking. No one had looked at him and really seen him like that in ages. No one ever had either except Tyson.

"What does he want with King?" Tyson asked him, anger taking the backseat for a moment as he tried to understand the situation.

"I have no idea," Kai admitted. "But I know for sure he doesn't like him much."

A crease appeared between Tyson's brows. "And you said no, right?"

"No" said Kai, waiting for Tyson's temper to burst. "I said yes."

Tyson's shoulders fell as he regarded him with disbelief colouring his features. "You're not _serious_?"

"I am" Kai insisted as he watched Tyson get more confused than ever.

"Why?" he asked him, utterly perplexed.

"Because he threatened me," Kai told him in a low voice even though no one could hear them. His walls were soundproof.

"Kai, are you insane?" The anger was here now. "What were you thinking?" Tyson's pitch started getting louder as he got more worked up.

"I said he threatened me," Kai repeated as he took an unconscious step closer. Tyson's fingers were splayed by his head, eyes wide and on the verge of snapping.

"With what?" Tyson asked him.

"With you" Kai specified, grinding his teeth as he felt a feeling of self-consciousness wash over him as he said it. It felt too much like a confession. Tyson was frozen in the middle of saying something.

"Me?" His shoulders fell again as his arms came to rest uselessly by the sides of his hips, looking momentarily defeated.

"He said he'd kill you if I didn't," Kai managed to get out and watched as Tyson grew a shade paler, the blood draining from his face.

"You were supposed to hand him over to the cops," Tyson said, distraught.

"I didn't have that choice, Tyson."

Tyson whirled toward the window on his heels, dragging a hand through his hair, helplessness and frustration radiating off of him. "I-" he sighed. "I need to think about this," Tyson said quietly. Kai watched him inhale deeply, the city lights hugging his form as he stared out perplexed. "I'm way too mad to say anything right now," he told Kai, still facing away. "I have to go, Kai," he said before turning around.

Kai gestured toward the door with his chin, telling him it was okay to leave. He understood that he needed to give Tyson time to come to terms with what Kai had shared. He knew he'd come asking questions later but right then Tyson seemed like he wanted to punch Kai, his hands were balled up again. "Okay" said Kai and Tyson nodded, walking past him. He was just about to get out of his reach when Kai grabbed his wrist, his fingers meeting smooth skin. Tyson twisted to him, stunned and Kai mustered up the courage to ask. "Will I see you tomorrow?" Hopefully not doped up.

Tyson's gulp was audible in the silent room. He nodded once more and Kai let him go.

* * *

A/N: Yall I did like 20 push ups and now my arms hurt like a BITCH. I haven't done them in a few...months.

Alright, a shitton of plot is coming. I had to get this scene out of the way because it wouldn't have sat well as a part of the next chapter so I had to post this as a separate chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I know I had a fun time writing it.

Thank you so so much for all the lovely words of encouragement and feedback. It's so nice to read what you guys thought of certain scenes and things in the story. I love it. And about Tyson's drug problem, I don't know if I wasn't highlighting enough but if you pay close attention while reading, you'll see that I did point out to it here and there. Keeping it lowkey because he's still in pretty good control of it. And as for the bitbeast he saw towards the end of last chapter, well...*evil laugh* you'll see soon enough. It's been a while since we saw them bitbeasts.

Next chapter will be out soon, please anticipate it and don't forget to leave a review. You guys are so sweet. *kisses* see you soon.


	8. Chapter 8

An early update as requested. This is just a one time thing and the chapter's short af. I'm working on the finer points of the plot so the next chapter will take about 7-14 days. Enjoy! (4000 words of mindless drivel, what am I doing.)

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

Never pick up, never call me

You know we're runnin' out of time

Never pick up when you want me

Now I gotta draw a line

 **Halsey**

There was someone pressing him up against the wall, their hands and mouth on him. The pulse of the beats reverberated against his back, sending deep vibrations through his body. The guy, it was a guy, groped at his hips with big hands. They were nice hands. That was the only thing he liked about this. Frat boys were all the same. Cocky and proud, they all thought they knew what they were doing, but really, Tyson thought as the guy ground his crotch into his thigh, feeling nothing but sickness crawling up his stomach, they didn't. They had no idea what they were doing. And this guy, was fucking clueless about his body.

The dude dropped his head to the junction between his neck and shoulder, allowing Tyson to see what was happening behind him. Tyson's hands slipped down the art major's shoulders as he looked around at the party raging in the house they were in through a veil of horniness and alcohol. The party was thrown to celebrate their success at the Moravian invitational and had been initially only for the athletes who participated, but a few hours in and the house was filled with what seemed like the entire student body. The guy sucked a spot too hard into his neck and Tyson hissed, reaching a hand up to tug at his hair to warn him. The dude mistook it as him asking for more and just bit into his skin, making Tyson gasp in pain and push him away.

"Sorry" he breathed into Tyson's ear, refusing to move back, thumbing at his mid-section. He drew back his face a little and shot him a grin he must have guessed in his drunken mind as seductive toward Tyson. Nevertheless, he let him kiss him again, just to help him forget the way Kai's gaze had snagged earlier. Snagged on his legs, his hips, his waist. _Every time_ he looked at him.

The kiss was sloppy at best because they were both drunk. The guy used too much tongue and zero technique. He murmured something against his lips and Tyson was able to make out a "you" and "awesome" before giving up trying to decipher what he said and looked over the guy's shoulder. Though his senses were clouded, he still recognized a familiar mop of blonde hair and thick-framed glasses.

Maxie, Tyson mouthed to no one before excusing himself from the guy's arms, a bit rudely, and stumbled toward the direction he'd seen Max go. His vision swam a bit as he navigated through the crowd and made it to the kitchen. His stomach lurched and he swallowed bile and saliva to keep from puking while he searched for Max. The kitchen was more spacious, with less people and more drinks. Max stood talking to someone on one side of the counter, hands empty. He looked way too sober for someone at a kegger.

Tyson all but fell into Max as he reached the blonde and said his name. "Maxine" he slurred when his ex best friend turned around with wide eyes and concerned brows.

"Tyson, are you okay?" he asked putting a hand on his elbow to steady Tyson as he swayed once on his feet. He would have answered, but the next time he swayed, he threw up all over Max's shoes.

* * *

He felt the throb before he was fully awake and decided today was shit already. Tyson groaned, tossing to his side on the bed. The blanket cocooning him wound itself more around his legs and it was hot enough in the room without the blanket suffocating him. He extracted his body from the darned thing with much difficulty and flopped back with relief when he was freed. The bright light filtering in through the windows hurt his eyes and he wondered who had moved his bed before coming to the realization that he wasn't in his room. Where the fuck was he?

He hadn't gone home with that other guy, had he? Tyson was slowly spiraling into horror when someone opened a door on one side of the room. He sat up when he saw it was Max. Clean and fresh as opposed to Tyson who smelled faintly of vomit. His head protested loudly as he did so.

"Hey" said Max, approaching the bed. Tyson looked down at his clothes and found he was wearing his tee and boxers. He couldn't quite recall how he ended up at Max's or at what point of the party he'd met Max. Had he even been at the party at all?

"Hi" Tyson replied with caution. "How'd I get here?"

Max smiled at him as he poured a glass of water. "You passed out on me at the party last night," he offered as explanation before coming toward him and extending the water to Tyson. "Said you wanted to come home with me before you did."

"Thanks"

"How are you feeling?" His ex best friend asked as he accepted the glass. Tyson swallowed a mouthful and wet his lips.

"Like a band is marching through my head," he answered and then drank some more, feeling better and less parched with each gulp.

Max chuckled softly, taking a seat on the mattress beside him. "Do you usually take something for the headache?" he asked. "May be some Adderall?"

"No" Tyson placed the empty glass on the bedside table. He felt awkward in the other boy's presence. Max was so kind. So kind. And he'd been such an asshole to him. Here was Max bringing him home and taking care of him even though Tyson had yelled at him and slapped his face like a madman. He still remembered the way the poor boy's cheek had reddened. "Thank you" Tyson muttered, feeling guilty as hell.

"It's okay. I don't mind." He was being generous like he always was.

A beat passed in silence.

"Tyson," began Max. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, peering at Tyson's face with gentle eyes.

"Why?" Tyson looked up at him.

"Because you were pretty...fucked up last night," Max told him. "You cried after you threw up on me, Tyson." Max's eyes was on his fingers set in his lap, he fidgeted as he continued. "Kept telling me that you were sorry and to take you with me and not leave you alone, so I brought you here." He met Tyson's gaze again. "You cried a lot," he added tentatively after a second.

 _You cried a lot_. Humiliation snuck up on Tyson as he listened to him. He cringed at the thought of himself weeping to Max like a baby after he'd yelled at him and told him to stay away from Tyson. He swallowed uncomfortably, his head about to split open from the hangover. "I'm sorry" he told Max.

"It's okay" His former teammate reassured him.

Tyson looked up at him and felt a surge of emotion. Max Tate was so kind, his compassion went further than his concern for himself that he often tried to put other's at ease even at the expense of his own feelings. Max had never once left his side and was always there for Tyson whenever he needed him. And Tyson loved him more than anything, so what was he doing letting their friendship die for petty reasons? He opened his mouth, determined to fix things with his best friend. "No, you don't understand, Max." He scooted forward to latch onto his friend's hand. "I feel horrible for yelling at you and slapping you that day. I'm so sorry I said all those awful things to you. You didn't deserve that. Not any of it. I'm so sorry, Maxie. Please don't hate me," he pleaded.

Max laughed, a little wet sound because he was close to tears. "I don't hate you," he said once he calmed down. "I could never hate you, Tyson, and I forgave you for that a long time ago." He smiled at Tyson comfortingly and squeezed Tyson's hand. "I'm just worried about you," he told him quietly.

"I'm sorry" he whispered. "I don't mean to do that either."

Max let out a small sigh, smiling at his earnestness. "It's alright, I promise." Tyson looked into his baby blue eyes peeking at him from behind the glasses and decided he wanted to see more of them, taking Max's glasses off his nose, surprising the other boy. The baby blues were as as big and blue as they always had been and from this close he could even see the light smattering of freckles at the very top of his cheeks and around his eyelids.

Max let out another chuckle. "Oh come here you," he said with a smile in his voice as he pulled Tyson into a tight hug. The midnight haired boy squeezed him back with fervour, basking in the clean scent and general softness wafting off his best friend. Not an ex anymore. He was his best bro and cuddle bear and Max choked a bit as Tyson took the whole hugging thing a little too far and politely asked him to stop suffocating him with love. "Please, you'll kill me."

"I'm sorry" Tyson apologized again, embracing him fervently for a moment longer before loosening his arms. "I just missed you," he proclaimed, a happy grin taking over his face as he sat back to look at a now pink Max.

"I missed you too, buddy" Max told him, and Tyson used the strength those words gave him to inhale a deep breath and slide over a feet or so.

Tyson's shoulders lifted and fell with another breath and then spoke in a more serious tone. "We do need to talk though. I have a lot to tell you."

* * *

"I just can't believe that he actually agreed to help a freaking murderer," Tyson declared standing in the middle of Max's dorm room, the blonde on the couch in front of him. Tyson's body was covered in the latter's clothes, which surprisingly fit him well. "He killed our friends, Max, and stupid Kai wants to help him."

"But Tyson, Kai did say that...," Max paused to choose his words carefully. "That _man"_ he cringed a bit as he said it, "threatened your life."

Tyson looked toward the window with a minor eye roll, hands braced on his hips before looking back at his friend. He cocked his head. "Do you really think that _Kai Hiwatari_ would do something he absolutely despises just for _me_?" he challenged with his gaze narrowed. "Me, whom he had sex with and then left the minute I fell asleep after," he reminded bitterly. "He told me he was my boyfriend, and then he did that. He didn't even bother to call, Max. I didn't even see him till two years later."

Max considered the midnight-haired boy for a moment , then dropped his eyes to the carpet. He appeared conflicted. "Well, when you put it like _that_..."

"Yeah" Tyson nodded triumphantly watching Max contemplate silently.

"But Tyson, Kai is not a bad person," he argued.

"I know" Tyson let his hands fall. "But he's not opposed to the idea of working with shady people to get his way either. He's doing it to get revenge on King, Max."

"King?" Max asked. "You mean that Alistair guy? The Petronarch one?"

"Yeah" Tyson agreed. "Him. The bastard."

Max shifted on the couch, eyeing the time. "May be you should go talk to Kai," he suggested. "He might listen to you. Didn't you say you were going to see him later?"

Tyson scratched the back of his head, forehead crinkling. "Yeah, I did," he admitted with reluctance.

"Why not go and see him now?" Max put forth. "I mean, you're free."

* * *

"Are these all?" Enquired Kai, standing on the aisle separating two rows of glass cubicles, each holding a shiny beyblade within. An employee by his side slowly rotated in an arc on his heel, so that the camera of the laptop balanced on his arm captured all the blades around them.

"Yep" Kenny nodded on the screen, engaged in a video call with the CEO of the Hiwatari Enterprises. "Six in total."

"Thank you" said Kai, barely feeling grateful. He'd convinced the Chief to ship the blades over to take a closer look at their construction and functions. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Kai," came Kenny's apprehensive voice. "If you're planning to reproduce these blades and use them in the upcoming tournament that's set to take place in just two months, you have to be warned that they're not easy to master."

Kai was indeed aware of the information Kenny had shared as he'd witnessed Tyson struggle to control one of them firsthand. They were extremely tricky beys. "I know", he stated.

"They are far superior and more powerful than any beyblades you've ever encountered before, Kai," Kenny informed him, his voice pitched higher than usual through the call. "Which unfortunately makes them more difficult to control. Even Tyson Granger couldn't properly wield its power," he said before remembering, "but then again he didn't have a bitbeast when he attempted to do so."

Kai listened wordlessly, allowing the tech whiz to speak uninterrupted. When he was done lecturing, Kai spoke. "What's your point?"

Kenny flinched, a tiny yelp escaping him, startled by the slate-haired man's brusqueness. He relaxed a second after. "My point is, you need experienced bladers. Strong ones."

"I already have Tala and Kuznetsov on board," Kai wheeled around to the laptop screen, speaking to Kenny's face. "They strong enough for you?"

"Um...," Kenny pondered out loud. "Well they are skilled enough, but don't you need more than two players for a tournament, Kai?"

"Yes" he accepted.

Kenny stared at him silently, hoping for an elaboration. Kai returned his gaze resolutely. He released a small exhale of frustration. "And do you have them?"

Kai blinked at him calmly, then opened his colourless mouth to say, "Kenny" The Chief choked on pure air at the sound of his name falling from the CEO's lips, cutting off Kai who observed him with mild concern. Very mild.

Kenny recovered with an audible gasp and chest hits. "So that's what you call me in your head!" he exclaimed once he was breathing normally again. Kai had a blank expression on his face, the slant of his mouth slightly bordering on annoyed as he watched him cluelessly. "You've never said my name before," Kenny offered as explanation at the look he was receiving. Isono, the employee accompanying them, could relate to the feeling, smirking in amusement on the inside.

Kai inhaled a calming breath. "I need you to find me a group of capable bladers," he said seriously. Kenny's face froze in a gawp.

"You-" Kenny stuttered at his brazenness. "I! How eve- Fine!" he said. "I'll find them for you," he conceded, shoulders sagging in defeat. "I'll get back to you by tomorrow evening."

Kai gazed at the screen with his nose in the air as Kenny disconnected the call and it went black. He was in the process of giving directions to his subordinate when another one rounded the corner with someone else in tow.

"My sincerest apologies, Kai sama," the man announced his presence as the irked CEO spun toward the newcomers. His gaze widened at the sight of Tyson standing next to the troubled employee. "He just waltzed in," he was speaking hurriedly. "And demanded to see you and you said-"

"I know what I said," Kai interrupted him in a stern tone, eyes on Tyson's neutral countenance. He'd told all his employees that if Tyson ever showed up and asked to see him, he was to be taken to wherever Kai was no matter what. Tyson appeared comically unbothered beside the fretting staff. "Leave us" he said to his two personnel and they scurried away immediately, but not before Kai had a chance to remind Isono to come see him in his cabin later.

Kai turned his attention back on Tyson to find the latter's own elsewhere, on the rows of blades on each side of Kai.

* * *

Tyson noticed the tops placed at the centres of the odd cubicles only after Kai's attention strayed from him to address his employees. As soon as his mind registered what was in his field of vision, Tyson's instinct was to run. Run away from the oncoming storm of painful memories. Therefore he studied the triggering objects just long enough to confirm what they were and quickly redirected his stare. He was entirely too sober to handle looking at them for more than a minute.

"These are Kenny's blades," he said, more to himself than Kai. "The specially designed ones," his voice sounded floaty to his own ears.

"Yes" Kai agreed.

"He made them for us," he touched a ginger finger to the glass nearest to him. "What are they doing here?" he asked Kai quietly, tone firmer.

"I had Kenny ship them to me," Kai explained, nonchalant.

"Why?"

"To make more," said Kai.

"Why?" he asked again, failing to understand Kai's intention. The building around them was deadly silent, not a thing breached the soundproof walls. Everywhere he turned he saw grey, steel and glass. There was no colour within these walls. Muted grey, just like the shade of Kai's hair.

The space he was in was eerily empty. Tyson shivered. A cold feeling forming in his gut. The man in front of him was no one he knew. As he looked back into those lavender eyes, that had their life sucked out from them, painting them colder, more icy blue than purple, Tyson felt the nagging thing in his stomach grow.

"If we are to bring the sport back to the world," Kai began with as much emotion as a doll. "After the way it was killed, we need to make it more attractive to the masses. Kenny designed these blades in a way that enables a player to exhibit their true power."

And then it hit Tyson what he was trying to do. The amount of promotion Kai was already doing for the sport was insane. "You're planning to sensationalize the sport," he said.

"Yes" Kai confirmed. "As required. You know the BBA dissolved after the stadium incident, Tyson." _Stadium incident,_ he repeated his words in his mind. Kai said it so simply, he made it sound like such an insignificant event. Not like thousands of people had died, including their friends or family, right? "We have an opportunity to rebuild the sport from scratch. I'm taking it."

"And _you're_ going to form the new association?" Tyson asked sourly. "You and King now that Stanley's dead?" His chest contracted at the thought.

"Precisely"

Tyson gulped, crossing his arms and looking away. But not at the blades. "You're doing all this just to get back at King?" he asked after a beat.

"Of course not," Kai quickly denied. "I miss the sport. I want it back."

And Tyson found himself wondering for the hundredth time if Kai still beybladed. May be not with an opponent, but he certainly would not have given up on it like Tyson had? It was probably why he was going to all these lengths to revive the game, because he was tired playing alone and wanted to spar with other people.

May be

Tyson drew in a bout of air and took a step forward, closer to Kai, his old...friend. He found lavender eyes and tried to get through to him. "Okay, I know you want to take revenge on King, but please don't work with a criminal." He was already begging. "If you need assistance," he hesitated for all of half a second before saying, "I will help you."

Kai looked surprised by the sudden offer. His gaze darted around Tyson's face. "And how will you help me?"

"In any way I can," Tyson promised solemnly. There wasn't much he could tempt the CEO with but it was worth a try.

Kai studied him for a short while, then shook his head. "I appreciate your offer, but Tyson, he threatened your life if I didn't accept his."

Goddamn his rock-like profile and attitude. Tyson itched to put a dent in that expressionless mask of his. It had been easier to read him when Kai was younger, he was real despite being unpredictable, but now he was fake too. His whole personality was a fucking act and if Tyson could read those eyes back when they were still kids, he couldn't now. Kai had built a battlement across his pupils. They mocked him constantly, his mouth spewing a ton of bullshit. Those words weren't even Kai's. It was someone else's. He was trying to fill in the shoes of a businessman he wasn't. Tyson tried to swallow back the frustration and anger that rose like lava within him, threatening to spill over and burn them both.

"Are you telling me that you care about me enough to agree to do something you absolutely despise?" he asked him, on the verge of yelling. "That you would do something you are completely against just for me?"

"Yes!" Kai stated angrily, a crack finally appearing in the wall he put around himself. "Yes, I am, Tyson." He balled his hands into fists, they trembled slightly. His breath escaped him in a shaky exhale as he stared at him, emotion flowing into his irises, deepening them.

Tyson gasped in a tiny breath which caught at the top of his lungs at the sudden outburst. He gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat, sensing an ache building in his chest. He slid his gaze away, accidentally finding the blades instead. The ache worsened as fear mixed into it at the sight of them and he forced his attention to the floor. He squeezed the arms he had folded across his torso.

If he cared so much, then why didn't he call? Tyson thought bitterly. And wasn't it just like Kai to manipulate him using his emotions? A fervently spoken word or two and Tyson was back in the palm of his hand. Wasn't that how it always worked?

The thoughts twisted ugly inside of him, and Tyson wanted to get out of there before it got worse. He looked up and sighed heavily. "I came here to talk some sense into you," he said. "But I see that it is impossible." He pushed at his bottom lip with his tongue. Kai stared at him stonily. "You know what?" He stepped back, edging toward the exit. "You can do whatever you want. Reintroduce beyblade," his gaze skid over to the cubicles as he spoke, "work with a fucking criminal to get revenge on an old man for something he did _years_ ago."

The words inflicted something upon Kai and he said warningly, "Tyson, stop talking." And it only tripled the other's ill temper.

"Fuck you" Tyson spat. "I was leaving anyway," he said as he began to move further away. "Do whatever the fuck you wanna do, just keep me out of it," he bit out. "And try not to die," he added as an afterthought and then walked away in exasperation.

* * *

A/N: Damn I might rewrite the end of last chapter because I felt it was a bit unsatisfactory. So, I might edit that later, you guys can come read and see if it's better that way. There wont be any major changes but I just want to make the writing flow better.

Right, the next chapter will take longer, but I will try to write quicker. May I repeat? I'm not a writer.

Thank you for all the messages of encouragement! I read every review and it's so much fun. Truly heartwarming, you guys are way kind. And about the title of the story, well, haha! I've been asked this question before...hehe, it's nothing fabulous. I named the story with the title of the song this whole thing was inspired by. Warrior by Beth Crowley. It has significance. Yes, it does. You'll see toward the end.

Don't forget to leave a review! Love you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Examines fingernails** Don't mind me, I'm just chilling. We'll talk about this later.

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE**

Now it's been a couple months, how you feel?

I see that you are doing well

Seems like you have come out of your shell

And your future looks real

Now can't have that can we babe

You know I'm gonna work on that

So by the end, you're gonna wish you're dead

You know the drill

 **Bellabeth**

"Would you like some tea?" Offered King, looking over his shoulder at Kai, who was sat on a plush chair.

The CEO of the Hiwatari Enterprises tightened the fingers he'd clasped in his lap, a sign of nervousness, before accepting the offer with a mild smile. "Yes, please, thank you." He wondered if he was overdoing it with the niceties as his gaze ventured over the furniture in the large but sparsely decorated room.

They were at the Petronarch office in the States, in Alistair's overseas lair for a meeting. They were both busy men and didn't find time to hold business talks often, though their current joint project required it. Discussions were usually conducted over telephone or mail. They'd had one official, in-person meeting before and had hashed over almost all the details of the project plan in the same sitting. Which was suffice to say, there weren't many days like today.

The room had a minimalistic feel to it, the cushions and tables were a deep red, the legs and backs of the big, squatting chairs finished in metal. On Kai's right was an endless stretch of glass, his black shoes tapping on white carpet, hands folded neatly between his grey slack covered thighs, eyes alternatively surveying the low coffee table and chair in front of him and watching King prepare tea next to the wall facing Kai.

"Sugar, milk, Kai-san?" asked King.

"Just a little milk, thank you," Kai said as he cringed inwardly at his own fake politeness.

"If you don't mind me asking, Kai-san," Kig began in a light tone as he stirred milk into the cup. "Why is it that you prefer not to be addressed by your late grandfather's name?" Kai picked up an amused inflection in his voice at the end of the sentence but pretended not to notice.

Kai deliberated his next answer carefully. "Well I don't think very highly of my grandfather."

"And why is that?" King prodded on as he came toward him and handed a cup of steaming tea placed on a saucer to Kai.

Kai made sure to speak of his gratitude for the hot drink and mulled over the question as King took a seat opposite him. He had to be cautious, if he phrased it wrong, King will understand that Kai knew of King's meddling with his family, and that he hated him for the things he'd done. He had to make it look like he was never close to his family or Voltaire. Which wasn't exactly untrue but Kai had loved them. At some point. "Voltaire never treated me as his grandchild." He took a small sip. "He thought of me as more of an asset." He ran the words over in his mind before glancing up at King above the cup.

The corporate veteran was helping himself to a stronger brew of the drink in Kai's palms. "Asset" The blonde man quoted, directing an assessing gaze toward the younger businessman. "I can see why Voltaire thought of you as an asset. Simply put, you have all the makings of the perfect heir to an empire. Sharp, daring, and reliable."

Reliable. The word gave Kai pause, memories of Tyson screaming at him for deserting him and his friends when the team needed Kai with them the most surfacing in his mind. He was pretty much the very opposite of that adjective. But King seemed to be buying his act. All of it.

"Granted he should have treated you better," continued Alistair. "You deserved to be, Kai. I can see you were a model grandson," King remarked consolingly.

Kai just about spat out his tea. Model grandson. The blonde old man was on a roll with the compliments for Kai today. It seemed King had plans of his own for Kai. Not that Kai ever doubted he did but he hadn't been sure of what they were exactly. But he had an idea now. King wanted Kai to trust him, and he was going about his plans by taking the same bait Kai had set for him.

Poor little Kai Hiwatari, the lonely grandchild of Voltaire. The orphan kid who acted cold and brutal because he craved love and affection. And didn't needy kids always blindly attach themselves to the first person who showed them kindness?

That was his plan. To make Kai let King into his confidences through empty words of appreciation and endearment. Too bad Kai could see right through him.

* * *

Tyson popped open a can of beer and gulped down half of it in one go as he listened to the laptop ringing Kenny. He had just lowered the can from his mouth and sucked in his lips when the ringing tone cut off and Kenny's face appeared on the screen.

"Uh..." started Kenny. "I can only see your pants."

"Yeah," replied Tyson. "That's cuz I'm standing."

"I figured" stressed Kenny.

Tyson plopped down into the chair before the desk upon which the laptop was set up. "Listen asshole," began Tyson.

"And hi to you too," Kenny said to Tyson's face.

"I don't know what you're doing sending our blades to Kai, but lemme just tell you," he took a swig from the can in his hand. "It ain't a good idea, pal. Mark my words."

"I knew this was coming," Kenny muttered to himself, pissing off Tyson who heard it clearly.

"Stop talking to yourself and start talking to me," Tyson put the beer down on the desk and folded his arms. "Explain, kyuuchi."

"Look," Kenny said with an exhale. "He asked for the blades."

"Haha nice try," Tyson humoured him. "He didn't know about all the beys, Kenny. He knew about just the one." He held a finger up. "Mine."

"Technicalities," Kenny brushed him off.

"Are important, Kenny" Tyson pressed.

"Fine" he gave in. "You're right. He didn't know about all of them. He asked me about yours."

"And you told him about the rest," Tyson concluded for him.

"Yes!" Kenny admitted. "I did! But Tyson, I don't understand, what's the big deal?" he begged.

Tyson was silent for a beat as he took the time to drink his beer. "Well," he resumed speaking once he set it down again. "First of all, we don't entertain the guy anymore." Kenny rolled his eyes. "Second of all, what the fuck is he going to do with those blades anyway?"

Kenny levelled him a look that Tyson didn't like much. "First of all," he mimicked Tyson, prompting the latter to blame Hilary for the sudden development of sass in the former's attitude. "When did we agree to do such a thing? Second of all, he's planning to adopt the designs to make more of the like."

"When he cut off all contact with us after the fire," Tyson said hotly. "And I knew that but what I wanna know is where he's going to find the bladers to handle those beys. Kenny, you know that it is so hard to control them."

Kenny didn't respond right away, eyes dropping to his lap. Tyson cocked his head at the reaction. All this talk of beyblade was beginning to get to him. He knew this was a bad idea, but he was so curious. He really wanted to know, even though his insides were becoming more and more unsettled by the mentions of his past passion and the stadium fire. "Um" Kenny cleared his throat. "Actually," he continued with hesitation hitching his advance. "Kai asked me to find them for him." He met Tyson's gaze.

Tyson felt his jaw flop a little. "You mean he doesn't have any players to play the damn sport yet?" he asked incredulously.

Kenny shook his head. "Nope"

He was stunned speechless, so he reached for the beer again. He raised it to his mouth and a single drop fell onto his tongue. "Great" he mumbled. "Hold on a second," he announced, getting up to grab another one from the fridge. Kenny watched him go.

He returned a minute later and opened it, drinking like he had been thirsty for a week. He sighed when he was done and spoke after. "You know, I really thought he'd stopped with the reckless behaviour after inheriting that goddamn company." He examined the label on the can. "I guess I was wrong."

"I can't say what he is thinking, Tyson. I know it looks bad-"

"Reckless" corrected Tyson.

"Er reckless," Kenny amended. "But I'm sure he's not acting on a whim. Kai wouldn't have made it this far if he didn't know exactly what he was doing."

Tyson wore a grim expression, eyes still on the label, picking at it with a nail. Kai was unpredictable. He had always been and he continued to be so, and if Tyson had ever been fooled into believing that he knew the guy, he was now sure he didn't. He never had. He remembered a conversation he'd had with Kai the day he got to try out Dragoon Vortex for the first time. His birthday. Kai had approached him. Said he'd brought him presents. Answers. And Tyson remembered one of the questions he'd asked Kai.

 _What are you always thinking about?_

He'd been so naïve to expect an honest answer.

" _You"_ he'd replied. The biggest lie he'd told Tyson after the one he'd whispered to him on the night Kai had fled from him and never looked back. Until now. Tyson reminded himself. He was back now and he wanted to see Tyson again. Why? Did he honestly think Tyson would blade for him?

Kai could go to hell with that idiotic notion of his.

"And have you?" asked Tyson, finally looking up. Kenny seemed confused so he elaborated. "Have you found any suitable players?"

"I'm still looking into them," Kenny said truthfully. "But Tyson, do you remember the gang Kai used to hang out with?"

"What gang?" Tyson asked puzzled.

"They used to call themselves the blade sharks," Kenny explained helpfully.

Tyson sat back with realization. "Oh yeah, I do remember them," he said, nodding along enthusiastically before he recalled something else about that group. "And they're trash," he took a swig. "My twelve year old ass wiped them clean."

Kenny disagreed. "If any of the data I've collected over the years are accurate, Tyson, I believe they're stronger now." Tyson was gearing up to argue with him and so Kenny added quickly. "And they are one of the few who were unaffected by the stadium tragedy. I'm searching for the ones who weren't a part of the last world championships or friends with any of the participants."

Tyson paused with his mouth ajar, words dying in his throat. There weren't a lot of active beybladers around anymore. May be only a handful. The ones who had been heartless and stone cold empty in their chests way before the tragedy. Like the Blade Sharks. Like the kids from the Abbey.

Like Kai.

Tyson felt his mood plummeting like a house of cards and he tried to change the subject. "Max and I made up," he told Kenny, grip painfully tight around the beer can.

Kenny's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?" he exclaimed. "I'm so fucking happy to hear that!" Tyson's eyebrows jumped up in shock at hearing him swear. "I mean it was high time you guys patched things up. Oh my gosh, I have to inform Hilary about this!" He kept talking ecstatically as he scrambled for his phone.

"Go ahead" Tyson said, laughing weakly at him.

* * *

Michael came home at nine in the evening, yawning and getting ready for a night of assignments. Fuck their professors. They could all choke on a stick of shit.

But he still had assignments to complete. There was no escaping that. Michael swung his bag down on his bed and glanced over to Tyson's. His roommate was sound asleep, little snores bubbling out of his mouth. Didn't this shithead have any homework to do? Why was he already knocked out cold?

Michael was about to make a complete dickbag out of himself before he recalled that Tyson hadn't been getting enough sleep at night and he should probably let him rest when Tyson finally seemed to be able to. Oh. He withdrew his fingers from where they were hovering inches away from the midnight haired boy's shoulder. Michael turned around, on his way to a night of suffering when he happened to glance at Tyson's desk. Completely accidentally.

His gaze landed on remnants of white powder on the brown surface, along with four cans of beer scattered around it. What the fuck. He touched the powder with his fingers and sniffed it. Yep, just what he thought.

Michael knelt down to the last drawer on the side of the table and prised the fake bottom open, searching for a bag with an open cover. He found it and found it half-empty.

Jesus Christ

He spun around to Tyson and watched his chest rise and fall in rhythm. He was asleep. Not unconscious, so he wasn't a complete nutter then.

Still Michael drew his phone out and scrolled down his contacts list till he came upon the number he was looking for. He dialled for Max Tate, worry lining his face.

* * *

The day after Kai's meeting with King, he had to sit through yet another undesirable one. He sighed long and heavy when his newly installed sensors spotted unusual activity in the east wing, which was soon followed by the appearance of a silvery blonde head of hair in front of the security camera right by one of the windows in that region.

The Russian walked in uninterrupted by any of the security personnel as Kai gave the order to let him through. He strode upto Kai with an air of arrogance and general boredom and occupied one of the chairs Kai gestured toward. He chucked a file overflowing with papers at Kai. "That's everything I have on our mutual friend," he stated, motioning at the papers.

Kai leafed through it, brow crinkling. Kai had a database of his own for King, he had gathered quite a lot of information in it, but he assumed it would be better to know what intel the Russian con had on the corrupt businessman as well. May be he had found out some things Kai had missed.

He snapped the file shut, flicked it on the table as he addressed the other man. "Before we get started, I have a few questions to ask you."

"Don't think of taking back your word, Kai," the Russian warned. "You have already agreed on our deal. Need I remind you of the consequences of pulling out?"

"No" Kai replied coolly. "But without getting a few things out of the way I don't see how we can move forward with our plan. Throwing bombs and threatening with guns is not how we play in the corporate world."

Kai noticed a muscle shift in the Russian's jaw as he clenched it. So he did have emotions like a normal human then. He threw his legs up on the desk and crossed it at the ankles, settling more comfortably into the chair. "You have questions? Ask them."

Kai regarded the worn out but clean looking boots propped up on his expensive mahogany. "Okay," The CEO leaned back, steepling fingers over his chest, elbows on the handrests. "Before we proceed, I'd like to propose a suggestion. I think it would be best if we conduct our meetings in Russian."

This seemed to surprise the other man, his lips parting wordlessly for a second. "You speak...?"

Kai nodded in confirmation. He was met with a thickly veiled fascinated stare. "I thought you grew up in Japan?"

He didn't know about the Abbey or about the years of his childhood Kai spent in the Soviet country. Kai chose not to answer, instead asking him in his grandmother's language. "First question, what shall I call you?"

His lip curled with the faintest of smirks. "Call me anything you want," the Russian dismissed, in the same tongue. "I don't care."

"Names have a purpose," Kai told him, unwilling to explain to the con what that purpose was. He could figure it out himself.

Striking blue eyes settled on him, unrelenting in their probing of Kai. They really were attention grabbing. They stood out on his marble face, overshadowing the rest of his features. "Alright" he agreed. "Call me Black."

Kai nodded in acceptance, then leaned forward. "Okay Black, why did you blow up the stadium?"

* * *

"How can you be a runner and still smoke?" Emily puzzled out loud as he watched the smoke rise from Tyson's mouth, his head resting in her lap. "Won't it like shrink your lungs? And I heard you guys need like huge lungs."

Tyson had a joint between his fingers, poised above his lips, the residual smoke drifting from his mouth. His legs were on another lap. Max's. Max was distractedly massaging his calves as all three lounged on Tyson's couch in front of a TV currently playing Nemo. His favourite.

The clock read seven in the pm as Tyson finally bothered to grace his friend with an actual response instead of just staring at her through a cloud of marijuana. "You heard right," he said, voice deep and raspy. "But I don't do it often. Like once a month."

"Once a month?" she relayed his words back to him. "Around your period?" Emily teased, playing with his soft hair.

"Yes" Tyson agreed. "Around my period," he said, carefree laughter punctuating his sentence, shoulders shaking as the other two joined in and the room was full of chortles.

* * *

"So it didn't have anything to do with the bladers?" Kai quizzed.

"No" Black denied. "I was sending a message to King."

That had been a message? "You killed thousands of people just to threaten one man?" Kai asked incredulous. "You couldn't think of any other way to do it?"

"He wanted me to bomb the stadium," Black corrected him. "I did it my way to show him he's not my boss."

Kai glared at him for a tense minute. It was clear the man had a warped sense of right and wrong, if he believed in such a thing at all. He didn't see the errors of his actions, or may be he did but didn't care. Why would he? He had only been taught to kill and maim since birth. A child of the Bratva. Cruel and ruthless. "And Tyson? Why didn't you kill him?"

"Your belle tried to stop me," Black informed him. "Save his friends from the big bad wolf, and I was this close to gutting him," he demonstrated with his hands. "But I saw the necklace," he touched his own neck but it was empty. "The star and I knew" he tapped the ghostly white skin once. "He was connected to the Bratva somehow."

"You shot his friends and family," Kai stated, recalling what he'd seen on the news.

"I did him a favour," he countered. "They were already dying."

"Because you set off the bombs," Kai accused.

"Never said I was a good man," he said, briefly opening his palms and cocking his head.

"Why did you wait for two years to approach him?"

"I had other things to take care of," Black reminded him. "The Bratva has more important things to do than go after loony old businessmen."

"Loony?" Inquired Kai. "Why do you say that?"

"He is a mad man, Kai," Black told him. "Crazy that one. He may not seem like it, but he will do anything to fulfil his wishes, and he has fucked up wishes."

The Russian's answer brought up a memory of a conversation he had had with Voltaire at an ungodly hour one day, years back. A day or two after Tyson's birthday. Voltaire had told him about his college days with King, Stanley, and his grandmother. He'd mentioned about the obsession King had had with Helena, and how he'd lost his mind when she'd chosen Voltaire over him. He filed that thought away for later.

"And now you're bored enough to go after crazy old men?"

"Something like that," he replied vaguely, gaze drifting over to the clock hung up on the wall and turning back around to Kai to ask impatiently. "Are you done with the interrogation?"

"No" Kai straightened his back, collecting more queries in his brain. He set his forearms on the desk and drew closer. "How have you been spying on Tyson?"

"Surveillance cameras around town and in campus," he replied without hesitation. "I tap into them and also one of the computers in his fraternity house."

If he spied on Tyson that much then he knew about the boy's drug problem without a doubt. He was probably also aware of how much Tyson took and what his drug of choice was. Whether he was addicted or he used it for recreational purposes every now and then. But it hadn't been for recreation when he showed up high to see Kai, had it?

Black's mouth curled up with a knowing smirk. "Go on," he said. "I know you want to ask."

Kai kept his lips pressed together. If Tyson wanted Kai to know, he'd tell him himself.

Black snorted a little. "It's Cocaine" he informed him anyway. "He tried Heroin once though."

Kai's heart lurched into his throat. "What?" he asked in alarm. Heroin? That was one of the most addictive drugs out there. What was Tyson doing anywhere near that thing? Had things gotten so bad he had resorted to highly dangerous substances overlooking sense and reason? "Just once?" he asked to be sure, despite his earlier reservation about meddling without permission in Tyson's life.

"Don't worry" he said with fake sweetness. "Your boy has good friends. He's not addicted." Kai relaxed slightly, some of the tightly coiled tension leaving his shoulders. "Not yet anyway," Black added, taking pleasure in Kai's misery.

"Is that all?"

Kai considered him silently, then finally said yes.

* * *

The credits for Nemo started rolling and Max stretched, knocking Tyson's feet off his body in the motion. Tyson sat up and grabbed the remote, switching on to cable and flicking through the channels.

"What are we watching next?" Emily asked through a yawn.

"Can we watch anime?" Max put forward. "How about One Piece?"

"Shut up," Tyson said suddenly, pausing on a channel, fingers stilling on the remote control.

"That was rude, Tyson," admonished Emily. "He was just making a suggestion," she defended Max.

"No, guys," Tyson stressed. "Look!" He gestured wildly to the screen. His friends followed his finger and did what he asked. Then blinked.

"What?" Emily asked confused. "It's a cartoon."

"No, it's an anime," Max said. "But what's the big deal about it, Tyson?" He regarded the boy sitting upright beside him, eyes glued to the TV. "There are some channels that air English dubbed anime. It's nothing new."

"I can't believe the fucking nerve of that guy," Tyson declared, blinking his eyes in a slow repetitive motion, sheer astonishment written on his profile.

"Huh?" Emily looked back and forth between Tyson and the TV. "Is he hallucinating? Is that a side effect of smoking marijuana?" She smacked him lightly on the head. "Dude, I think the greens have melted your brain."

"I'm with you on that, Em," Max sunk back into the beat up cushion and sighed. "Tyson, buddy" he patted his friend as he spoke. "You need to chill with that stuff. It's not good for you, you know."

"You fuckers, open your eyes," Tyson said angrily. "It's a motherfucking anime on Beyblade." The other two joined him in the shock he was experiencing as soon as they heard it. "We were lucky enough to catch the fucking global premiere."

And he was right, they realized. There were two little kids on the screen, a bey dish and two spinning tops clashing within it. A red coloured rectangular box on the top right spelling out that it was "Now premiering". "H-how?" Max stuttered.

"Kai" Tyson explained. "It's a part of the promotion he's doing for Beyblade. I hate him so much. That kid looks like me! Doesn't he look like me?" He turned to Emily, who seemed to be incapable of speech at the moment. She nodded in a short brusque way, like she had to force herself to move.

"He's surely going all out with it," she finally managed.

"That Gingka kid is me!" Tyson stated again, feeling violated. "Asshole"

* * *

"Petronarch is mainly a steel manufacturing company" Kai droned in a monotone voice, gaze on the file in his hands. "They produce over 13 million tonnes of steel in a year. Lots of acquisitions and merges over the years to get where they are now. Fifteen subsidiaries and partners in total." Kai stabbed a finger on the paper. "That's the key. The subsidiaries." He glanced up at a bored looking Russian. "We start from the outside and move inwards."

"Agreed" Black grunted. "And how do we do that?"

"I want a list of all the people he owes money to," Kai explained. "We need to remove these partners and subsidiaries and get him alone. Find a way to turn them against him."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Black made a sound like a chuckle. "He's not very liked. You want that list? I can get it for you."

Kai closed the file and flung it upon the table. "The sooner the better."

* * *

"Wait, if this anime is out now," Max began. "Then doesn't it mean that they started working on it at least last year?"

"What are you talking about?" quizzed Emily.

Tyson inhaled deeply, attempting to bring his heart rate down to normal. There was a sick feeling roiling inside of him, something quite not right in his gut. His pulse hammered at the base of his throat as panic built up in him. Tyson tried to breathe, but couldn't manage to suck air into his lungs. His fingertips were beginning to go numb. He chewed on his lip and made an effort to tune into his friends' conversation, eyes on the Beyblade anime.

"I mean, Kai's got to have made plans for this last year, right? But," Tyson looked up at the ceiling, swallowing the anxiety, balling up his fists and inhaling fruitlessly. "Kenny said that he asked him to search for bladers just now and the exposition is in like one and a half months."

The sides of Tyson's neck and cheeks started prickling, his skin heating up.

"You talked to Kenny?" Emily reached for a chip.

"Yeah, last night," Tyson's face grew hot, heart rate kicking further up even as he attempted to calm down. "He called to ask about me and Tyson being friends again. He was so excited and happy."

"I was too!" Emily laughed. "You guys are such morons-"

Tyson stood up, excusing himself, cutting Emily off. "I need some fresh air," he explained as he grabbed his jacket and made for the door. "I'll be back soon." He didn't wait to see his friends' reaction before drawing the door shut behind him and bolting at top speed into the cold night.

* * *

Black left Kai's office at ten and the slate-haired CEO sat in his leather chair with hunger for some action after a long hour of plotting.

His plans couldn't be put into motion till Black returned with the list, but he itched to do something right now. His mind jumped to the event that had taken place a few days ago. At the press conference. The leakage of compromising photos.

A ghost of a smile danced on Kai's lips as he picked up the phone and rang up the security department which often doubled as the HQ of espionage in his company. "Bob, bring in R for me." He was put on hold as the employee called for the man Kai had requested.

"Kai-sama?" the young man's voice came in through the speaker.

"I'd like you to mail the photos you gathered from the background check you performed on Leo Polanski's ex wife a year ago." He had requested for the background check as a part of the delving he had been doing on Leo himelf. Oliver's dad had partnered up with Alistair King for a joint venture the night of Voltaire Hiwatari's death. He had been curious of how exactly that deal had come about. King had dirt on Polanski, and he'd used it as leverage for the deal. Kai did some digging of his own on Polanski, his former wife and his son Oliver, and the results had been interesting to say the very least. He'd always found it odd how Polanski's wife had filed for divorce right after his partnership with King had been solidified. The reason for that, he'd come to realize after the photos he discovered during the search was that, she had been afraid Leo would find about her short affair with King and break things off with her himself, thus ruining her public image.

"To whom, sir?" prompted R.

"Polanski" Kai replied. "You know the drill."

"Very well, Kai-sama." The line went dead. Tit for tat.

* * *

Tyson's feet carried him all the way out of the campus and into the dark alleyways that wound around the city. He stopped running, hands braced on knees, panting so hard he saw stars in his vision.

A fit of coughs racked through his frame, and he squeezed his stomach, nausea making his head spin. The ground before his eyes swam as his stomach lurched painfully with the coughing. The pain made him grit his teeth and fight for breath as he tried to stand upright. He had managed to straighten out his spine when his insides knotted in a vicious twist and he hurled onto the slightly wet, glistening asphalt.

He spat the remaining contents of his stomach and weakly drew back up as the nausea subsided. He breathed in a relieving draught of cold air that soothed his nerves. He wiped a hand across his mouth and continued taking deep breaths. He looked around once he was feeling better, noting the short buildings with peeling plaster surrounding him. He was sure he was familiar with the place.

It was the mentions of the past when he still hadn't properly recovered from the trauma of losing his family and friends that triggered the sudden wave of anxiety. And the anime. That hadn't helped at all. If only stupid Kai could go back to wherever the fuck he had crawled out of and leave Tyson and the others in peace he'd be okay. Why'd he have to come back into their lives? Into his life? He was upending everything Tyson had been working so hard to achieve. Thanks to Kai, Tyson was a disaster again.

He drove a fist into the nearby wall, and hissed in pain as his knuckles bruised and bled. "Shit" he cursed, ignorant of the slimy greyness clouding around him like the marijuana he's been smoking earlier. He sucked the blood into his mouth, wincing softly. He cursed Kai out loud again before glancing up at the wall in front of him, and freezing when he was met with a pair of glowing red eyes instead. Up close, the monster's eyes slammed the breath out of him. Tyson screamed, falling on his ass as he threw himself backwards to get away from the creature.

Greyish fog closed in on him from all sides as he scooted further away, eyes on the looming figure approaching him. It's face was black, mouth a gash of red, fire burned within its nostrils like embers and the size of it was large, its body covered in thick black fur, talons long and sharp. Tentacles as sharp as blades extended away from its face as it snapped its mouth full of canines at Tyson.

Fear gripped him like a vice, and he couldn't move as the creature bounded toward him and lashed out. Tyson's blood curdling scream rang out in the dead-silent alleyway.

* * *

 **A/N** : Tut tut tut, don't hate me. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! And for waiting so patiently. Some of you guys have been around for a long time and I just wanted to say to those people who didn't give up on this story that you guys are awesome for being soooooooo damn patient. Also, don't worry guys, there won't be much nerding in here. I'll try to keep the business part of the plot as interesting as possible. I don't know much about it anyways but let's just pretend I do and keep moving forward. And if you have any questions, please don't be shy.

Don't forget to leave a review. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Bye bye. See you later. Much love!


	10. Chapter 10

This was supposed to be a huge af chapter, but I cut it into two. For dramatic purposes. So, chapter 11's gonna get here sooner than you think.

A few clarifications before we begin. The real name of the Russian con in the story is Blu. In order to keep his identity hidden, he told Kai his name was Black. I've stopped using first person povs in the fic and so all the povs are in third person. So when in Kai's pov, he refers to the Russian as Black but in the Russian's pov, I use Blu. I hope that's clear.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**

"Come on, little lady, give us a smile"

No, I ain't got nothin' to smile about

I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for

A moment to say I don't owe you a goddamn thing

 **Halsey**

The sky was falling. No, stars were raining down on him. Falling so fast, they were streaks of gold and silver as they went past him. He was suspended in space, caught in a knot in the giant fabric of space and time. They didn't so much as graze his skin as they hurtled down the heavens, Tyson revelled in the beauty around him.

This wasn't his first time here. No. Tyson had experienced it before. Both the times with Kai. Once, when he had been battling with him to exhaustion, and the second, when they had their limbs intertwined. Kai's hands in his hair, mouth on his own, the heat of pleasure searing through him. Through them. Around them and in between. The memory sent a sharp zing through his brain, and Tyson gasped. His heart knocking against his ribcage.

He grew aware of his surroundings slowly and steadily at the beginning, and then all of a sudden. His back hit the rough ground and his head lightly bounced off the asphalt. Tyson's eyes flew open, the taste of Kai's tongue and the heat of his body still so vivid in his mind he could almost feel it. His gaze found a pitch black sky, starless and unremarkable as it draped over him. Tyson wet his lips and swallowed, detecting copper in his mouth. He must have bit his tongue when he fell. Tyson picked himself off the ground trying to remember how he'd gotten here. And then he remembered, albeit a solid five minutes later.

The creature. Or whatever it had been, had attacked him. Tyson checked for injuries and came up empty. He was unharmed, though a little sore from lying on the ground in the cold. He was the picture of befuddlement as he stood in the alleyway and looked around him. At the short buildings and walls. No monster in sight.

He decided to mention it to Kenny and made his way home.

* * *

 **A WEEK LATER**

"Wow" commented Tala. "You've outdone Boris with the setup."

"Valkov" Kai acknowledged his former teammate with a clap on his back as he reached him, his hand remaining on Tala's shoulder as he came to stand next to him. They stood before a bey dish, one of several others in the makeshift training room, with a blader in front of each one and a beyblade within.

"And your grandfather," Tala concluded. "He'd be proud of you." He turned his head to appraise his childhood friend. "Kai, you can drop the act," he said with a smirk. Kai dropped the hand he had on his shoulder instead. "You don't have to pretend with me."

"Who said I was pretending?" Kai asked, gaze calm and measured on Tala.

Valkov gave him a long look in return, full of entitled arrogance and judgement. "Right. You're really a power-crazed businessman."

Kai looked toward the beyblade spinning slowly inside the dish, wobbling slightly as it climbed along the side.

Tala let out a low chuckle. "You and I both know you're anything but," he said in Kai's ear as he stepped around him.

Kai smiled serenely, glancing over to his former friend. "Didn't know you were into psychology." Tala bristled. "I heard that field is full of crazies."

"You'll fit right in then," Tala replied in an acid tone, teeth flashing predatory. The beyblade finally toppled over the edge of the dish and both of their attention drew to it.

"Why don't you focus on the job at hand?" Kai suggested in a hushed voice as he started to move away.

"I don't work for you," Tala reminded him. "I am here for my own benefit and I believe I made that very clear before coming here." Kai listened on pleasantly. "You will not treat me like one of your minions because I am not inferior to you in anyway."

Kai gazed pointedly at the blade lying lifeless on the floor and then glanced up at Tala. "Are you sure about that?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow before walking away with his hands in his pockets towards another blader a few meters ahead.

"That mouth on him," Tala grit his teeth and seethed. A hand came down upon his shoulder as Bryan's voice spoke in his ear.

"Calm down," he said, rubbing circles into his tense muscles.

"Does he not understand whom he is speaking to?" Tala asked as he followed Kai with his eyes. "That bastard would have died if it weren't for me."

"He's not worth it," Bryan said with ease of familiarity as Tala bent to pick up his blade from the carpet. They'd accepted Kai's proposal solely for their own advantage. Beyblade was the one thing Tala truly enjoyed and it pained to have that taken from him too when the stadium in Tokyo went up in flames. Plus, he wanted the attention back. He'd been a well known player when Beyblade was popular and he'd loved the spotlight.

"He needs to be taken down a peg or two," Tala said watching Kai's back as he conversed with a player with green hair.

"He's had his share of trouble," Bryan told him, resuming the massage.

" _Please_ ," Tala drawled as he clicked his blade into the launcher. "He hasn't gone through half of what we have."

* * *

It was a disaster. None of the bladers even came close to getting the blades to behave let alone control them. The beyblades acted according to what they were designed for. The ones built for strength lazed around in the dishes as their handlers screamed at them to move while the ones made for speed, ran out of the dishes the moment they touched the surface. Kai sighed heavily, closing his eyes as yet another blade tumbled out of its dish.

Matsuda, head of R&D, cleared his throat, preparing to make an observation Kai was not in the mood to hear. "Kai-sama, it seems the beyblades are not responding to the players. Why is that?" He clutched at the clipboard in his hands as he fidgeted beside Kai. "Normally, the blades should at least spin at the speed they were launched," he winced at the grimace on Kai's countenance. "Sir, they're completely unresponsive. The players are tiring out as well. If we keep this up-"

"Tell them they can take a break," Kai cut him off abruptly. "I'll get on the issue."

"Thank you, Kai-sama," Matsuda bowed once, then marched off to inform the players. Somebody cursed from the far corner and Kai turned to see one of his former Blade Shark teammates suck on a finger, the result of a blazing beyblade singing his skin. Amidst the humming of the air conditioning, the scratch of metal on plastic, and the frustrated exclaims of the athletes in the wide carpeted room, Kai heard a whistling. It came closer and he ducked his head out of instinct as something whooshed past him. He looked up to spot the object and found it was a rogue beyblade. Kai decided that was enough.

He made a call to the original designer of the beyblades with annoyance in his veins. "Come work for me," he said as soon as Kenny answered. What he actually wanted to say was: come give me a goddamn hand.

"No" came the startled reply.

"As an intern," specified Kai.

"My term isn't even over yet," Kenny said as an excuse.

"It ends today," Kai pointed out. "I'm booking your flight."

"How do you know these things?" Kenny asked, half-awed, half-irked.

"Tomorrow morning," Kai announced. "First class"

"Wait, I haven't agreed to anything!" he protested.

"I'll write you a stellar letter of recommendation," Kai tempted.

And Kenny couldn't resist. "I hate you," he conceded.

* * *

"We need someone on the inside," Kai said as he gazed out the window later that day. He heard the pop of a bottle being opened and someone chugging down liquid. He refocused his gaze on the reflection of Black on the dark glass and watched him silently as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Black was oddly graceful. "We're not making any further moves till the tournament is well under way but in the meantime we have to keep an eye on King. See what he's up to."

When he turned around to face Black, he wore an expression akin to disbelief. "Not making any moves till the tournament?" he asked Kai, looking at him with a barely there frown. "Why did you ask me to bring the list this fast if you weren't planning on striking sooner?" He stood up from where he'd been lounging on the hotel's pristine and comfy couch, said list lying on the table before him.

"I can't jeopardize the exposition," Kai replied calmly. "I've invested time and money into it."

"Time and money," Black spat as he crept closer. "Is something I don't have. I thought we were going to do things faster."

"I'm sorry to have disappointed you," Kai said with mockery. "But we're not dealing with illegal underworld businesses here. These are legitimate corporations with over a million-dollar income each year. They have skilled lawyers and iron-bound contracts with Petronarch. We can't exactly stroll in and wave guns to take them over. I know it must be hard to understand, but you have to at least try."

"Watch your tone there, Hiwatari," warned Black, the light glinting off his blue eyes dangerously.

"Or what?" challenged Kai. "You'll kill me? If you wanted to, you'd have done that ages ago."

* * *

Blu would have loved to put the smug Hiwatari's skull right through the window he was leaning against, but he held back. He was no use to him dead. Oh but the condescending tone got on his nerves like no other. It seemed to be inborn. Hiwatari just appeared to have been gifted with his charm from birth.

Kai was tetchy today, even more so than usual, and Blu was not a patient man. He never had been. He trembled with quiet fury as Kai, satisfied that Blu was not going to argue any further, spun on his heel to look out to the city. He chewed on nothing, working his jaw, and calculated how much time he had left till his uncle found out he was not in Japan. That tournament would take another month. The problem with the Yakuza remained unresolved. Blu had sent his men there and so far he hadn't received any significant calls from them. The Yakuza had not reached out yet for some reason.

He flexed his hands to relieve some of the anger. "Gabriela González," he said in a monotone.

"What?" Kai faced him as he inquired.

"The name of King's secretary," he explained. "Young and beautiful. Easy to seduce."

"I'm not planning on seducing anyone," Kai said immediately. No surprises there. The man was whipped for the Granger kid.

"She manages his schedule, meetings, calls and even some of the mails," Blu informed him. "If you want to keep an eye on King, she's your best bet."

Kai seemed to consider it for a moment. "You don't understand," he said. "I'm not good at...that."

His point stood valid for all of a second. Blu let his gaze roll down the length of Kai, and back up. He had everything women mostly looked for in a man. "That won't be a problem. She seemed easy. And you have the face, the body, and the money."

Kai set his jaw and shook his head. "I'm not doing it. There must be another way. May be we could send someone in as an employee," Kai was suggesting.

"He's not hiring," Blu waved him off. "Probably because he suspected you to try the same thing."

Kai sighed, mind working on another excuse to make. Blu still simmered with the anger from the previous argument they'd had, and so he switched tactics. "I'm sure you can do it. I mean if I can get your pretty boy to kiss me, the man who killed his dear ones, then you can definitely woo a woman."

Kai looked up at him with blatant outrage. " _You did what_?" he demanded, taking a step closer. He'd been cool the entirety of this conversation, and the last two he had with the Hiwatari, but the mention of danger on Granger stripped him off all semblance of composure. It was impressive.

"How do you think I got him to tell me your name?" he asked, savouring the anger radiating off of Kai. Blu had to admit. He took great pleasure in watching the ever so cold Hiwatari burn like the sun. It was quite beautiful.

" _You son of a bitch,_ " Kai strode forward and slammed Blu against the wall with a hand wrapped firmly around his throat. The pressure he applied was high, but not unbearable. Kai breathed heavily, almost panting with rage. "How _dare_ you," he ground out.

Blu's gaze bore into Kai's enraged purples. It appeared Hiwatari was not quite aware of who he was manhandling. Blu was almost twice his size, though Kai didn't have to reach up to throttle him because he wasn't much taller, Blu still had a larger body. But Kai was undeterred. He made an amused sound and touched a hand to Kai's straining grip around his neck. "Don't think of it, Kai," he hissed. "This is not a fight you can win."

Kai punched him right across his jaw. Blu had a feeling Kai had been aiming for his mouth as he spoke. His head was whipped to the side, a few strands of hair sliding into his vision. He brushed them back as he straightened. "What else did you do to him?" Kai asked quietly through clenched teeth. He was almost scary, except his fist had barely made an impact.

The punch flipped a switch inside of him and Blu swung, sending the Hiwatari to the floor. He'd hit hard but not enough to bruise his cheek. Blu needed that face to be spotless. He had a secretary to woo. "You should thank me," he said as Kai sat up and felt his cheek. His eyes flicked up at his voice, flashing at Blu as he quickly drew up to his feet. "Your angel wanted to fuck in the bathroom of a club."

Kai looked stricken. Confusion bled into his expression of anger and hatred. He simply couldn't comprehend why Tyson Holy Granger would try to fuck a murderer. His own parents' killer. Kai stayed speechless.

"But we only kissed," Blu told him, feeling generous. "I stopped him. You should thank me."

Kai snorted all of a sudden. "You're just lying. Trying to piss me off. Like you always do." Was that what he thought?

"He tasted like apples," Blu shared cruelly and watched Kai's face blanch. Blu remembered only because it had been distinct and unexpected. He'd guessed the vodka as Tyson had been drinking, but the hint of fruitiness coating his tongue beyond the bitter alcohol had been a surprise. Blu smiled. "Past the vodka of course." Oh he believed him now. Kai shook with hatred.

"You _won't_ fucking _touch_ him again," he warned, threatening Blu with his eyes. He was promising murder with them.

As if Blu had any intention to.

"I won't" said Blu. "I haven't gone anywhere near your boy since you asked me not to the first time," he reminded him, feeling the urge to calm the man down now that he'd had his fun.

Kai regarded him silently, gaze assessing and filled with distrust. His posture slowly began to relax as he smoothed out his blazer with a hand. Then took a breath. And another. Till his face was wiped off colourful emotions and a blank slate took over once again. He nodded. Kai was surprisingly reasonable, even when you ruffled his most sensitive feathers. He responded to logic quickly, and had tremendous power over his own body. Blu respected the hell out of that.

"The secretary, Kai," he steered them back to their earlier discussion, despite the hunger to cause more damage to the CEO. "We need her."

Kai closed his eyes and tilted his head away. All he had to do was the bare minimum and the girl would be his. How could he not see that? Blu had interacted with Gabriela himself and she'd smiled at him of all people. She was one of those easily trusting types. Perfect for the job. If only Kai could stop being a wuss about it.

"Fine" Kai said finally. "I'll go talk to her, but I can't promise you anything."

* * *

"No no no, you're doing it completely wrong!" Kenny had finally arrived in New York. Kai leant against the railing of a ledge overlooking the vast training room below, studying Kenny, who stood beside him, with a scowl.

"I asked you before if there was something else I needed to know and you didn't mention any of this."

Kenny rearranged the bangs on his forehead with intense concentration. "Yes, well I couldn't exactly tell you those things over the phone."

"We were on a video call," Kai pointed out helpfully.

"Same difference," Kenny yelped as he saw a blade launched by Tala fly right over another player's head. "Oh my god, Tyson was better than this."

"Because that was Tyson," Kai said drily.

"Hmm" Kenny went extremely thoughtful, a severe frown taking over his young features. The change in his mood had a drastic effect on his demeanour. Gone was the happy tech whiz, and in his stead stood a brilliant physicist. "Okay!" he clasped his hands together. He turned to Kai with determination and enthusiasm. "Kai, I'm going to need you to do exactly as I say and we may just be able to pull this off."

"You have some faith."

Kenny growled. " _Listen_ to me."

* * *

"Tala, we need you to focus," Kenny advised the redhead who was now placed in an isolated establishment. The four walls encasing Tala Valkov was made of plexiglas. The room was square-shaped and five feet in length. Tala stood in the centre of the empty space with his feet apart, a specialized beyblade and launcher in his grip.

"Tala?" Kenny prompted him through a microphone that transmitted the signals to a similar contraption in Tala's ear.

"I'm doing it," Tala grumbled out.

"Good" Kenny praised. "Now, think of something that fuels your power and your bitbeast."

Tala closed his eyes at his instruction and proceeded to do as asked.

"Are you feeling it?" Kenny asked quietly, watching from outside the plexiglas, several computers showing the feed from the cameras directed on Tala and his blade to capture him from different angles, spread out on a table in front of him and a silent Kai.

"Yes" he answered in a whisper, eyes still closed.

"Excellent" remarked Kenny, keeping an eye on the analogue heart rate monitor as the frequency of the waves increased. "Now launch your blade." He held his breath as Tala cocked his blade into the launcher and let it rip. The beyblade touched the metallic floor firmly, spinning at a normal speed when it had been landing unsteadily with below average rotations previously. Kenny released his breath. "It's working," he whispered to Kai, who nodded in slight relief.

"I thought you'd sent me defective blades," Kai said lowly.

"Hey, I'd checked them out before shipping them," Kenny defended. "Besides, you made these."

"My R&D department is the best in the country," Kai countered smugly. "And that's saying something because this is America."

"Are you serious right now?" Kenny was glaring at Kai when Tala snapped at them.

"Can you two stop whispering in my ear?" Tala said with frustration. "How am I supposed to concentrate with all this ruckus in the background?"

"I'm sorry," Kenny apologized fervently. "Don't lose focus. I'll keep quiet." He eyed the beyblade rotating furiously in front of Tala. It was feeding off his annoyance with Kai and Kenny. That was unexpected. Tala was doing good. "I know you're familiar with transporting to other dimensions. You've done it before during one of your battles with Tyson Granger, which is why we chose you for this. I want you to recall how you did that."

Tala did not respond immediately.

"Tala?"

"I don't remember how," he said in a muted voice.

"That's okay," Kenny hurried to comfort him, noticing the blade slow down. "You were angry, weren't you? It was anger that you felt?"

"Yes" Tala confirmed.

"Can you channel the anger you felt during that battle?" Tala seemed unsure. "If we pull this off, you'll be able to wield Wolborg's power yourself."

Tala paused. "What do you mean?" he inquired dubiously.

"I mean, you will be able to do the things Wolborg can while you blade," Kenny promised him in an alluring tone.

Tala reacted to the prospect in an impressive manner. He shut his eyes and furrowed his brows in concentration. Kai and Kenny watched with bated breaths as the heart rate monitoring began beeping at a faster pace. Tala had his head bowed, breathing shallowly, Kenny wondered what kind of memory he was focusing on to make himself that angry that quickly. Tala had a terrible past. Kenny mulled on the horrors the boy must have had suffered in his childhood and felt a pang in his chest. Kai on the other hand, looked like he knew how Tala would have reacted all along. After all, he'd been in the Abbey with him.

Kenny watched Tala with sad but proud eyes as the beyblade before him started spinning at a heightened speed, little flakes of snow spiralling out of the blade as Wolborg woke up. "You're doing amazing," Kenny told him with fervour. "Keep it up."

Tala's body began to shake, fists quivering by his sides as the swirling snow from the blade developed into a full blown snowstorm within seconds. "Wow" Kenny breathed into microphone, a feeling of mixed pride and accomplishment brimming within him at the sight. The blade moved so sickeningly fast it turned into a blur, a white source of snow from which the storm grew. Wind howled piercingly through the speakers that they had to remove the earphones to protect their ears. Kenny could barely make out the shape of Tala amidst the storm as he clapped a delighted hand across his mouth.

Everything was going as planned till Tala suddenly screamed and a boom echoed through the room, frost hugging the glass was replaced by blinding snow that completely obscured Tala. Kenny checked the cameras and saw a flash of white before all the screens blackened. The cameras were covered. "Tala, can you hear me?" Kenny asked with fright. "Are you alright?!"

He pressed the earphones against his ears to hear through the howling, but all he could detect was a bellowing. Tala was shrieking into the microphone. "Tala, are you alright?!" Kenny asked again as Kai called security.

They ran toward the entrance to the room with security, and Kai's personnel pried the door open with some difficulty. The ice had frozen the door to the glass. They had to saw through the door and the ice to finally reach Tala. And when they did, they found him inside grinning, blood dripping from his nose, eyes alight. He was completely uninjured except for the nosebleed as he turned to face them. The storm had stopped. "I did it," he said, panting with exhaustion and exhilaration.

Kenny managed to nod at him, getting his own heart rate back to normal as he eyed the walls around Tala. Huge icicles protruded from every inch of the room, the floor was covered in snow, the edges of it hosting more jagged stalagmites of ice. Kenny exhaled, worry melting off of him as his gaze found Tala again. The blood trickled into his mouth, giving colour to his pale, chapped lips, matching his hair. Kenny's gaze dropped lower. Toward the blade spinning languidly at Tala's feet and then up again, to find with horror, the blades of ice that were Tala's fingers.

 _"You- your hands!"_

* * *

Kai waited for Gabriela with his car parked on the street across a book store. He took out the picture Black had sent him earlier and prayed for strength. He'd been right. King's secretary was a youthful girl, with rosy cheeks and lips. Cherubic was the word that came to Kai's mind. She was of a Spanish descent with curly red hair and a lovely smile. Friendly at first glance.

Kai pocketed the photo and looked toward the bookshop. Gabriela visited this particular store often, an avid reader and a loyal customer. Black said he couldn't do it because there was only so much pretending he was capable of. He was a mobster, he'd said to Kai. Not an actor. As if Kai was any better at seduction.

God, help him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kai started at Tyson's voice that came from behind him. He whirled around to face Tyson, who looked at him from the other side of his car. He had two black wires extending from his ears, and a hood on his head. "Are you stalking me?"

Certainly

Kai rolled his eyes mildly at the accusation as Tyson continued. "If you are, I suggest you get rid of the car," he said as he chewed on his gum. "It attracts attention."

"Thank you for your advice," Kai replied drily, tone dripping with sarcasm. Tyson nodded his head to the side once, lifting an eyebrow as he did so, to say: you're welcome.

"No, really, what are you doing here?" he asked again, hands hidden in his pockets. "Your office is like on the other side of the town." He knew the street was close to Tyson's university. Kai sneaked a glance to the book store before stepping around the car to talk to Tyson.

"I had something to do in the neighbourhood," he replied as he walked closer and stopped a feet from the other boy. Tyson looked him up and down, taking in Kai's outfit.

"Right" Tyson said in a light tone. "What's with the shirt?" This close Kai could smell his breath, synthetic strawberry tickling his nostrils. "You're usually flouncing about in a suit."

"I don't flounce," he countered weakly.

"Yes, you do," Tyson said with a snort, a small smile denting his cheeks. Kai dragged in a bout of air, full of sticky sweet strawberry and Tyson snapped his gum. The wet sound drew Kai's attention to his mouth, lips glistening pink in the soft light. He shook his head, averting his gaze, and Tyson prodded. "You walk around like you own everything and everyone with that stupid face of yours everyday, what brought on this change?"

Kai looked up at him with a smirk at Tyson's exaggerated observation. He chose not to answer and instead made one of his own. "You're in a good mood today." He was and it tempted Kai to shine a torch in Tyson's eyes to check if he was high. He didn't act high, not like the other night. His joyful energy seemed natural tonight.

"I am" He was easily distracted as always, forgetting about Kai's change of attire. Something tingled in Kai's chest. Tyson bounced on his feet a little. "A championship is coming up," he said with a smirk teasing at the corners of his mouth. "Always gets me excited."

"You run track," Kai recalled with a faint startle, eyes shooting up to the small cut on Tyson's temple. Electricity buzzed along his veins at the energy emanating from Tyson, a peculiar tightness knotting his stomach the longer Kai looked at him. "Is that how you got this?" he asked, reaching over to touch the skin next to the cut before he could stop himself.

"Mm" Tyson tried to dodge Kai's fingers from meeting his skin as he tilted his head to the right. "Sort of" he said, lightly swatting at Kai's arm, who retracted his hand just as fast as he'd reached over. Tyson shook his bangs out to hide the cut.

"You should be more careful," Kai told him as he turned around to search the front of the bookshop for Gabriela with his gaze. No sign of a Hispanic secretary anywhere. Did he have the wrong location? When he twisted back to the other boy, Tyson had his eyes on Kai's body again, trailing up his chest and then his throat before locking gazes with him.

A small, sad smile curled on his pretty mouth, and the emotion in Tyson's chocolate browns drowned him for a suffocating second before the moment passed and it was gone, settling as a dull ache in Kai's lungs. "I have to go," Tyson twirled a loop of keys on a finger. Kai noticed the keys and asked what they were for.

Tyson caught them in his palm, closing a fist around it and pointing to a bike parked in front of Kai's car. He hadn't paid a mind to the mechanical beast before. Kai could see why Tyson was fond of the bike. It was quite a vision to look at.

"Want a ride?" Tyson offered, in hair-raising proximity to his ear. Kai inhaled, then turned his head to regard Tyson over his shoulder, who confidently glanced back at him. Kai found his pupils and exhaled when he saw they were the right size. He was sober. He was beautiful. Kai traced the fine curves of his smooth face with his eyes and wished he could touch. He wanted to accept that offer, but he had a job to do.

"I'd love one," Kai admitted. "But I'm busy."

Tyson rolled his eyes. "Didn't think you were gonna say yes," he said with attitude as he stepped around Kai and walked toward the bike. "See ya" he said with his back to him, wiggling his fingers in a small wave before climbing aboard the bike and taking off without a helmet.

* * *

A/N: Whew! I hope you enjoyed that.

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Some of you are really funny and make me laugh out loud at times. And smart. You guys are really smart. I love your guesses for what that monster Tyson encountered might be. (You're not that way off but you're not very close either so, HAHA!) I don't exactly know how to thank you. Donno the right words, but please know that your words do brighten up my day. Hope yall will keep reading. Don't forget to leave a review! I'll see you soon!


	11. Chapter 11

Have a great weekend, loves. Also, put this song on loop. We were in love by Ta-ku. For an intense experience. I'm kidding. But put it on loop if you like listening to music while you read.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Here is what the boy said to the sea:  
take my life, but do not take  
my love from me.  
and the sea remembered

 **E.C**

Gabriela Gonzalez exited the bookshop with a bag made out of cloth hanging off one shoulder. She took a look around before descending the stairs of the building and heading in the direction Kai presumed was her home. He started the engine and steered to the lane adjacent to the pavement she was sauntering along, following her.

Her short skirt danced around her knees as the wind stirred her curls and earrings. Gabriela slowed her pace when she noticed the car rolling quietly alongside and then fully stopped when Kai did. She bent down slightly to smile politely at him through the open window. "Can I help you?" she asked in an amiable tone.

Kai watched as the signs of recognition dawned on her countenance and she let out a gentle wince. "Good evening, Mr. Hiwatari, I'm sorry I didn't know it was you," she apologized with a sheepish smile. "Was there something you needed?" she asked this time with an added layer of honey.

How was he supposed to go about this? Tyson's earlier offer rose in his mind and he took a page out of Granger's book of flirtation (whether he was aiming to flirt or not was beyond Kai but it'd sounded that way to him). "Would you like a ride?" he smiled.

Gabriela looked perplexed and a little apprehensive. Kai cursed in his head. Great, he'd screwed it up now.

She knocked herself out of whichever stunned place Kai's question had transported her to and stuttered an acceptance. Kai sighed internally as she opened the door and climbed in to the vehicle. He may suck at this royally but at least he had his face and status. Kai had a feeling Gabriela had said yes purely to not appear rude to the owner of the company her boss had partnered up with. "You have a lovely car, Mr. Hiwatari," she complimented.

"Please," Kai said as he shifted gears and pulled into the main lane. "Call me Kai."

It was silent inside. Gabriela's gaze swept across the interiors as she continuously closed and opened her mouth unsure of what to say. Kai stared straight ahead, feeling like a fish out of water, but then he glanced at his companion and realized Gabriela must feel even bewildered. She had no idea why she was sitting in a car with the notorious CEO of the Hiwatari enterprises. Kai cleared his throat and gained her attention, blue-green eyes attaching to his frame.

"You must be wondering why you're here," Kai said only in a mildly disinterested tone. There was no helping his tone. He'd been speaking that way since he learned how to vocalize his opinions.

There was a subdued sound of an amused exhale. "Not to come off as rude, Mis- Kai," she corrected in a haste. "But I have to admit, this was a bit...sudden," she said in a soft voice that jingled like bells.

Kai let his gaze slide over to her face, and stay for a moment long enough to exchange a smile, before returning it to the road. Come on, Kai. It was just a girl. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to alarm you."

"It's alright."

They stopped at a red light. Kai noticed how Gabriela's eyes lingered on him through the corner of his vision. He knew he looked good behind the wheel, and that the shirt Tyson had kept commenting on earlier, fit him well. Her gaze clung to him like how his had, and it gave Kai the bravado he needed to say with a hint of embarrassment, "I'm not very good at this." He squeezed the grip he had on the wheel as her interest piqued and sighed exaggeratedly. Kai glanced at Gabriela. A ruby earring winked at him. "But Gabriela, I like you." A soft involuntary gasp escaped her red lips. "Do you mind going on a date with me?" he finished and held his breath.

She regarded him curiously and then broke into a full-lipped smile, shaking her head like she couldn't wrap her head around it. She'd made a brief appearance at one of his meetings with King. She'd seen him before and knew that he'd seen her too. It wasn't that far fetched an idea. She was pretty, like one of those Disney princesses. All rosy and innocent. Surely, Gabriela had admirers?

She collected herself as though she'd been laughing on the inside, with a soundly inhale. Then she chuckled. Kai read the red numbers counting down before him. "You're not bad," she said breathily, laughter colouring her voice and features. She fiddled with a glittering bracelet on her wrist for a second. "Although, I can't say no, can I?" she asked softly, thoughtfully.

Kai graced her with his undivided attention and watched as her paper-white cheeks slowly flushed pink. "Why is that?" he asked.

"It's not everyday I get asked out by someone like you," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

He didn't know what to say to that. "So is that a yes?" he prompted instead.

Gabriela considered Kai for a moment or two and then nodded, russet hair catching the light.

* * *

Hiro crouched next to his suitcase, the one he'd used to cart most of his belongings from Tokyo to the City. He traced a circle on the coarse lid, hesitant to open it, listening to the clinks and clanks of his fiancée preparing enchiladas in their kitchen. Hiro got to his feet, finding the noise a disturbance, and clicked the door shut, leaning against the wood for a minute before padding back to the trunk on the floor. He knelt beside the bed, zipping the case open and peering in. He spotted the fancy pink diary hiding underneath a new pair of underwear.

Hiro gingerly picked it up, second-guessing as the clock ticked on. Mystel had handed it to him at Brooklyn's funeral, telling him his disciple would have wanted him to have it. Sighing heavily once, he made up his mind and opened the book, easing his back on the side of the bed to sit with his knees pulled up. The moral ambiguity of his action tickled his conscience, and Hiro reminded himself that Anne Frank's dad had read Anne Frank's diary and while Hiro never considered his own self to be Brooklyn's father, he had certainly been his coach. A vague guardian figure to the boy, so he reckoned he couldn't hurt Brooklyn by reading his diary, especially if he never came to know about it. Right?

The metal-driger wielder puffed out his cheeks in an exhale and turned to the front page, and discovered with a bit of humiliation and admiration, that that was never to be a possibility.

" _Hello, Hiro,"_ it read beneath his name in elaborate cursive. _"Good to see you're still sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong."_

Hiro suppressed a fond smile and flicked to the next page to begin reading. Brooklyn's handwriting curved along the paper in elegant loops and slants. A good portion of the entries consisted of Brooklyn rambling on about his nature friends and former teammates in purple prose. It was either a conversation he had had with a rare bird in ornate paragraphs or an excessively flowery rant on Garland's constant and unwarranted needling. Other than the pointed line addressed to Hiro in the very first page there weren't any more direct remarks or snide poking at his coach in the bulk of the book. In fact, that was the only one Hiro found.

But sporadically there'd be a sentence or a whole paragraph that wasn't very long or purple. Where his handwriting lost its style and elegance, and reduced to a wiry, hurried scribble along the paper. A distressed entry, chock-full of melancholy and harrowing honesty. They plucked at parts of Hiro with each word, tugging twinges in his heart, one at a time that by the end of the book the pricked pores had developed into a full blown crater in his chest.

Hiro dropped the diary, expression grim, and glanced at the clock. The minute-hand moved jerkily past 5. Five past six. Hiro dragged a hand down the length of his face, then grabbed the book back up to reread, determined to look between the lines. He was sure he must have missed something crucial.

And he was wise to do so, because Hiro had been right. Without the shock that came with reading the sad entries for the first time, Hiro noticed an odd thing about those paragraphs. Brooklyn repeatedly mentioned a 'place' where he found comfort during the harder days. Hiro had overlooked them initially, dismissing them as overly magnified metaphors, but he spoke of it so often the 'place' couldn't be just a figure of speech for a park or an empty room. Furthermore Brooklyn omitted the use of metaphors completely in these entries and in one of them he had described the 'place'. He'd called it 'starry but dark'. And also as the location he could interact with Zeus in absolute privacy and freedom.

Additionally, the way Brooklyn spoke of Zeus was...strange, to say the very least. It seemed Zeus and Brooklyn were quite close. Closer than Hiro had ever been to his own bitbeast Driger. Brooklyn referred to their conversations as 'deep and enlightening sessions of reflection'. What that even meant, Hiro wasn't sure.

The description of the place reminded Hiro of another starry place he'd been told about. Tyson had mentioned it to him. He'd said something about a space full of planets and meteors he'd travelled to with Kai in the middle of a battle. Hiro had regarded his brother with disdain then and called him delusional. Well, it appeared Brooklyn had been on another level of delusion. But Hiro wasn't so confident now. He resolved to find more information about this place.

* * *

Tyson was up nice and early on Friday morning, heading straight to the grounds to train. The sun shone bright overhead, the eight o'clock light warming his shoulders and back as he stretched one leg out on the floor and pulled his toes toward him with a hand.

A couple of shoes appeared in his vision. "Ty, can I borrow your bike tonight?"

"Sure," Tyson squinted up at Mike. "Why?"

"Gotta visit mom," he explained, standing next to Tyson with hands on his hips. "Were you gonna do something with her tonight?"

Tyson switched legs, stretching his left with a satisfied groan. "Well, I was planning to take Max and Kenny out to the movies," he looked back up at his friend, sun in his eyes. "But I guess we can walk. It's not that far."

"Thanks, buddy," Michael grinned, then grimaced at the sharp whistle Tyson's coach blew. "So, Kenny's in the city? You must be ecstatic," he stated, eyeing the man in a sweatshirt yelling at a huddle of athletes who were shirking and talking a few feet away.

"Ecstatic is an understatement," Tyson replied with a smirk. "He gave me a whiplash at the airport. Dude, he's _so_ tall."

Michael guffawed. "That's refreshing to know," he said in a good natured tone. "Heard he was Kai's cargo." He looked down at Tyson who was too busy warming up to return it.

He raised a slightly taken aback eyebrow when he didn't get a swift reply. Mike knocked his knuckles on Tyson's shiny head of hair, right in the centre of it. The runner glanced up at him with a barely there pout and large but hooded eyes, raven fringes almost meeting his lashes. Tyson's dark gaze slightly smouldered on him as Michael asked, "What, no comment?"

He jumped up to his feet, then answered in a casual tone. "How about.. it's none of my business?"

"Granger!" The coach screeched before Michael could say anything else and Tyson jogged off with a quick smile and a 'later!'

* * *

There was nothing of value in the books or on the internet. Hiro felt like he'd embarked on a wild goose chase, a very alive and breathing Brooklyn at the end of it. He slammed the laptop shut and slumped in his chair, morose. Lia appeared in the doorway.

"You've been sitting there for hours looking lost," she observed. "What's up?"

He closed his eyes and exhaled, a crick in his neck, and an aching pressure on his spine from having sat curled up for...hours as his fiancée put it. "There's something I..." he paused, wondering if he should tell her, then decided to twist the truth a bit anyway. "I've been researching bitbeasts."

"Oh you didn't say anything about it," said Lia, long black hair brushing her folded arms. "Since when?"

"I'm sorry I didn't," he replied in a rush. "I just...started yesterday."

"Well, I could help if you want," she offered kindly and Hiro turned around to finally look at her. Lia smiled.

Hiro rose and stepped toward her, realizing just now that he could have asked her all along. She was incredibly adept at research on mythical beings. "Do you may be know a bookshop or a library where I can gather more information on them?"

"Hmm" Lia mused out loud. "I think I might," she said thoughtfully.

* * *

"The wine is delicious," Gabriela complimented over the lip of the tall glass. Kai smiled at her in response as he cut his steak with a knife. They were dining at a high end restaurant. Kai dressed in pressed black slacks and a crisp button-down on a date with King's secretary who appeared unearthly in a short white gown with little triangular cuts on either sides of her waist.

"Tell me about yourself," Kai said as he bit the piece of meat from his fork.

Gabriela drank the wine more than she ate, although she only did so in delicate sips. "I'm from Hudson. My parents moved there from Madrid. Both high school teachers. I literally went to the same high school they worked at and managed to get into Columbia University, here in the City," she paused when Kai lifted an eyebrow at her words, then admitted with shyness, "I was a bit of a nerd."

"What did you major in?" Kai asked, interrupting her. Kai wondered when she had graduated. She looked quite young, about his age, but Kai knew she must have been in her early twenties.

She played with the stem of the glass. "Architecture" she said with discernible hesitance.

Kai put his fork down. "Then what are you doing working as a secretary for King?" he asked without realizing he was coming off rude. Something in Gabriela's gaze clued him in on the brashness and Kai quickly amended. "I mean, you're obviously really smart. You deserve a better position."

She looked away, inclining her head downwards, a indecipherable smile on her face. "I got my degree...but," she said reluctant to go on, uncomfortable with discussing the subject. Gabriela huffed a laugh, slightly piteous of herself, a curl slipping free from her bun. "My grades were still pretty low," she said meeting his eyes.

"What happened?" Kai pried tentatively, unsure and out of his element.

"I got distracted," she said with a finality. Done discussing the topic, refusing to divulge further details.

Kai picked up his fork. "Try the steak," he suggested, indicating toward her plate of food, refraining from pushing her more. Gabriela thanked him silently.

* * *

Hiro pulled the beyblade out of his pocket and aimed the launcher. The bookshop Lia had directed him to had information on all sorts of beasts, bitbeasts and otherwise. Hiro had found the content of the tomes utterly ridiculous. A load of claptrap that had nothing to do with actual reality.

" _Remember that reality is only an illusion",_ Brooklyn's words floated to the front of his mind, and Hiro clenched his jaw.

" _Never allow fear to define your limits."_ Fear? Fear of what? Hiro despaired to ask Brooklyn. If only the boy had ever spoken to him in understandable human language rather than riddles.

He sought for answers and he wanted them quick. Didn't have enough time to spend reading fantasy fiction. Hiro launched the blade in the middle of the empty park, darkness shrouding him in shadows. It had been a while, but Driger was happy to see him.

The wind whipped his light blue hair around as he grinned at his old friend in welcome. This, Hiro believed in. Something he could see, hear and feel. And he trusted Driger.

He took a step toward the bitbeast, struggling to breathe properly as the rush of wind whirled past him, threatening to overthrow his balance. "Driger!" Hiro yelled, squinting at the beast, a hand shielding his face from the storm. "Hey!" The ancient monster acknowledged him with a nod, thunder rumbling above.

"I have something to ask you!" His voice cracked from the strain of making himself be heard amidst the shrieking air flapping his jacket. Beacon-like blue eyes glared at him, perhaps the lone distinguishable part of its form, the rest of Driger barely visible in the translucent gale. Hiro pressed on. "I want to know," he bellowed. "Is there a place," he panted. "Another dimension, that's accessible to humans?!"

Lightning struck a nearby tree with a mighty crack, instantaneously setting it on fire. Hiro swallowed thickly, painfully, parched throat bobbing up and down as he peered up at Driger swimming in the shadows. For a moment, he worried the beast might not answer him, but then it roared at him, flinging Hiro into the dirt. The blade spun at a maddening speed in the grass, its core trembling violently. Hiro clutched at the ground, having landed in a sitting position, mud streaking along his pants as he was blown another half meter, skidding against the grass. He dug his fingers into the dirt, gritting his teeth to keep himself stationary. He glared up at Driger. "Do you know if humans can cross over to your dimension?!" he shrieked.

The beast let out a snarl, three different shards of lightening hitting various spots of the park, igniting fire wherever it fell. Hiro was aware Driger wouldn't hurt a bone in his body, but now he felt a sliver of doubt as the beast seemed upset. He wondered what had upset it. The questions or Hiro's long absence? "I'm sorry!" he shouted at it, voice breaking as he did. "I'm sorry! Please, help me!"

The bitbeast's round eyes stared at him, the wind hushing for a moment. Hiro's clothes and hair settled, and he sucked a lungful of air, finally able to breathe. "Can we?" he asked, shivering in the cold.

The nearby tree that had been hit earlier blazed fiery and uncontrolled. Driger considered him silently, then slowly, ever so slowly, inclined its head in affirmation. A shaky exhale tumbled out of Hiro. The implications of such a thing being possible erupting goosebumps along his skin. He gasped and gulped, before asking. "Has-" A tremor wracked through him as wind howled in the distance. "Has anyone crossed over?" His heart thudded in his chest, lulling itself to hear the silent words of his bitbeast.

Driger swam in the darkness, eyes boring holes into Hiro's own. Thunder rocked the earth around him, yet Hiro held himself still. Afraid he'd miss it if he so much as blinked. The world fell quiet. His breath caught. Driger snarled at him softly, and then once again, briefly, to Hiro's utter astonishment, _tilted its head_.

His heart stopped beating.

* * *

"Thank you for the lovely meal," Gabriela said with a smile as she glanced up at Kai outside the restaurant. "I had a great time."

Kai returned the warm gesture, grin dazzling in the expensive lighting illuminating the steps. Her car waited for her as they said their goodbyes, parting for the night.

" _Seduce her"_ , Black's voice reminded him from inside his head. Gabriela's blue-green eyes sparkled as she stared at him, Kai's gaze fell to her mouth, painted cherry red.

He wished, for a wild moment, that this was Tyson. A vain wish. The thought by itself a weakness. Kai was not weak. He looked into her mixed irises, put a finger under her chin, and kissed her lips.

* * *

Tyson and Max strolled back to their dorms from the cinemas, after dropping Kenny off. The movie had lasted longer than two hours. An absolute bore, but Kenny had loved it. Max walked ahead, the roads empty in the late night. Tyson shuffled behind him, attention on his phone. He glanced around to make sure the road was free of traffic, then followed Max across it.

Tyson received a message and he opened it, busy reading it as he trudged along the asphalt. He was oblivious to the car that suddenly turned around the corner. Max was lightly humming to himself, enjoying the night air, when he heard the squeal of the tires behind him. He spun on his heel just as the car hit Tyson.

* * *

A/N: Whoopsie! Buckle up, guys. Angst is coming.

And no, I haven't seen any fanart. I'm not an active part of the Beyblade fandom. I just write and watch an episode once in a while (The Brooklyn v/s Kai fight in season 3). That's all. But I'd love to see it. Do you have a link? (Can we share links on this site or will I get suspended?)

Anyway, angst is on its merry way. Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be out soon. Please, anticipate it and don't forget to leave a review. Love you all. Bye.


	12. Chapter 12

**My classes have started. Updates will slow down, guys. Please be patient with me.**

I did it to myself. No regrets, guys. *runs around screaming* FORGET ABOUT ME! SAVE YOURSELVES!

 **Track Recommendation:** **It's Ok, You're Ok - Bonjr**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

I'll rewrite this whole life

and this time

there'll be so much love, **  
**

you won't be able to see beyond it.

 **Warsan Shire**

Kai received the news at the crack of dawn.

The sun crept to the horizon, spilling the faintest light into the inky black sky, sweeping it a shade of indigo. Slivers of light peeked in through the edges of the thick curtains drawn over the windows as Kai slept soundlessly, cocooned by the blankets, in the centre of the large, luxurious bed.

The phone began ringing and Kai frowned slightly in his sleep, before coming fully awake, eyes opening wide as his pupils adjusted. He reached an unclothed hand out to grab the phone beeping insistently, answering and pressing it to his ear without getting out of bed. "Speak," Kai grumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you this early, Kai-sama," Isono said with barely concealed anxiety. "But I really thought you should know. Tyson Granger has been in a car accident."

* * *

Some people's souls burned brighter than others. Their words and laughter drew more attention than most. Sometimes these souls shone so overwhelmingly strong they stole small globes of energies from those around them to blaze more vividly.

Tyson Granger was one of them. He commanded attention and thrived off of it. When he hadn't been enchanting people with his skills on a beyblade dish, he hoarded friends and fans with cheeky grins and solemn eyes. And amidst all those bits of souls he had merrily stolen, he'd snatched one heart who had never hoped to belong to him, and left it weeping on the floor as Tyson slumbered unaware of the distress he was causing.

Kai stood in a dark coat in the silent and dimly lit room, staring at Tyson's sleeping form. The pale yellow glow of the hospital ward softened the midnight-haired boy's facial features to such young innocence the guilt coursing through Kai's veins tugged sharply at his chest.

It had been a hit and run. The streets had been reportedly empty when the lone car whirred around the corner. The driver had driven off without a backward glance. A planned assault staged as an accident. The warning bells had tolled in Kai's head ominously the night before, and he knew right then that something was bound to go horribly wrong. And here he was. Staring distraught at an injured and comatose Tyson.

A broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, several cracked ribs and a minor fracture to his fibula. The nurse had read him earlier. No brain damage and X-rays suggested no surgery required. Kai's gaze ran across the injuries. One of Tyson's legs were in a cast and kept raised, an arm and shoulder bandaged and immobilised, accompanied by slight bruises on his hip, temple and a small one on his cheekbone. He was so still. The IV wire rested stationary on his hand.

He'd wake soon, they'd told him. And Tyson's friends had gone to get him supplies but they'd return quickly too. Kenny was supposed to be by his bedside but he was using the toilet at the moment. Kai had sneaked in while no one was around. He wanted to see Tyson in privacy, loathe to reveal how weak the sight made him to anyone.

Aside from the gentle rise and fall of his chest, he lay perfectly still, and the inertness struck such a contrast to Tyson's usual demeanour. Kai recalled the boy bouncing on the balls of his feet just a few nights ago, talking animatedly about the upcoming championship that he was thrilled to participate in. That was another thing. Tyson wouldn't be running for the rest of the season. Whether he'd be able to get back on the track by next year was up for debate. It depended on how well he responded to the treatments and how quickly he recovered. The news would surely shatter Tyson in more ways than one. Kai had a feeling running was the last thing that made him truly happy, he wondered just how much it would affect Tyson to have it taken from him too.

And Kai would be the sole person responsible for his pain. Once again. The accident took place early Saturday morning, exactly one week from the night Kai had leaked compromising information on King to one of his partners, which led to strain on the relationship between the two parties. Kai saw the connection of the events, never mind the time difference. King had waited a week to make it less glaringly obvious, but Kai heard the warning intended for him loud and clear.

Kai had committed a terrible mistake leaving Tyson unprotected. It was no secret he cared for the boy and all of his enemies would try to take advantage of the one weakness he had. How had he overlooked that tremendous risk? How had he acted so phenomenally foolish? Now Tyson paid the price for his carelessness. Guilt ate away at Kai till it clouded his vision and Tyson's bed-ridden form swam for a moment. There was no redeeming his actions. He deserved no forgiveness. Kai couldn't bear to stay in the room any longer, and so he left the vicinity immediately.

* * *

"Tyson?" A faint call of his name filtered into his consciousness. It sounded distant, like he was underwater. Everything felt so far away, all the sounds he was picking up, vague and hard to interpret. A dull urge to open to his eyes and look around coaxed him to listen harder, fight the darkness enveloping him. "Ty" he heard his name again and doubled his efforts to open his eyes.

He found with frustration that he couldn't. It was hard to get any part of his body to move. His lids were incredibly heavy as he attempted to pry them away from one another. The sounds were a lot closer now and much clearer as well. He tried to speak, but his mouth refused to. Suddenly the veil of unconsciousness was lifted from him and Tyson jerked awake, finally surfacing from a deep sleep.

The first thing he noticed happened to be his leg in a cast and Tyson creased his brows in an effort to remember how he got his limb injured. Then he became aware of the very hospital-like surroundings and almost all of his friends huddled close by. Their faces were outlined in a general murky white blur.

Tyson's body felt like the heaviest thing on the planet and he was in the activity of wondering how he got here when someone brushed their fingers through his bangs. It was Emily. She had sad eyes. "How are you feeling, Ty?"

"Uh.." He regarded her with confusion and she explained. "You were in an accident last night," Emily whispered.

Oh

He was in an accident. The car. He remembered the car that appeared out of nowhere as he crossed the road behind Max but nothing else. Tyson exhaled heavily before looking down at his body. Half his limbs were broken and a shoulder was all wrapped up. They didn't look too serious so he tried to sit up and nearly screamed out loud in the stabbing pain that followed. Something was wrong with his upper torso.

"Careful, you're injured" Emily warned.

"How bad is it?" he managed to rasp, eyes on the IV drip.

He felt a dull ache all over but that was about the extent of his agony, counting out the near death experience he just had while attempting to straighten up. Max shuffled to his side, a picture of relief. "Well, not too bad I guess. When I saw the way you were tossed across the street I thought-" he took a steadying breath, then continued. "Minor fractures in your arm and leg and a few broken ribs. You're fine otherwise," he sounded like he was trying way too hard to shrug it off as nothing serious, which more than often meant it was serious. "They're giving you something for the pain," Max said pointing to the needle stuck in his hand. "Just for some days."

Tyson nodded.

He noticed Michael lingering at the foot of his bed, no Kenny in sight, masking his too obvious concern. Mike seemed to be keeping important information from Tyson because he always wore the same expression when he had something to hide. "How long was I out?" he asked.

"Almost twelve hours. It's noon," Emily combed his fringes back from his forehead.

"And how long do I have to stay here?" he asked again, keeping his voice levelled. They all exchanged looks. Tyson took measured breaths, sensing panic building inside of him.

None of them answered immediately, hesitating and fidgeting nervously, then Mike spoke. "Two weeks tops. Depends on how fast you recover."

Two weeks. Another breath. Emily was actively massaging his scalp now.

There were flowers by the bed. On the windows letting in sunlight and air. On the table holding boxes of food and water flasks. Poking from behind the leg in a cast. Lilies. His least favourite.

"And the championship?" he asked quietly at last and the silence in the room grew by degrees. Emily carded gingerly through his hair. Max paled and clamped his mouth shut. Mike rearranged his feet, not meeting his gaze, before saying anything.

"You're injured, Tyson," he said finally, tone careful. "It's going to take time to heal."

"How long?" The only two words he was apparently capable of speaking.

"Weeks" Kenny walked in and decided to join the conversation. "Probably months to heal fully."

"You're out for the rest of the season," Mike informed him somberly. "Sorry, man. I know this sucks."

Tyson nodded. That was okay. He'd be out for just one season. "Will I be able to run next season?" His gaze focused on the stale sheet covering his lap.

Emily's fingers brushed his temple as she scooted closer. Max sighed audibly.

"I don't know about next season, but," Mike rocked back and forth on his heel. "You might be starting the one after," he announced with fake cheer.

Tyson's gaze bore holes into the off-white fabric. He curled his free hand into the material as a sudden chill settled into his bones.

"Tyson?" Max called his name again. "You okay?" he asked with worry. "You look a little-"

He was as good as a corpse. Body rendered useless. For an indefinite amount of weeks. He was okay, wasn't he? Perfectly fine.

Tyson nodded.

* * *

Tyson's world came crashing down for the second time once the sun set, his friends went home and the morphine they'd pumped into his blood started fading from his system. He lay on the stiff white bed, back propped against a pillow, one foot up in the air. He picked on his cuticles listening to the medical staff loitering outside, talking sporadically while weaving through the rooms. He'd ate an hour or two ago. He couldn't be sure, he wasn't checking the time.

Tyson glanced up at the window on one of the blue walls caging him in. It was dark outside. Dark and bleak. His gaze drifted to the vase of lilies beside the pane, white and unremarkable as they slowly wilted in the vase. He inhaled, looking up at the ceiling, and counted the little black dots amidst the nauseating blue. He fetched the remote from the table on his side and switched the television on, sifting mindlessly through the channels.

The last drops of pain-killers in his blood dwindled to none, and Tyson's thumb hovered on the remote. Pain flooded his senses. It started as a more demanding throb in his wounds and the physical discomfort accompanied by the stark loneliness around him inspired crippling thoughts in his head. They cut through him viciously, mercilessly till the remote dropped from his frozen fingers and his lungs constricted. Memories of his lost family members pressed against his chest. Grandpa Ryuu, his dad Bruce, little Daichi...

His old friends and passions. The dojo with its wide open space where he trained with his grampa every morning. The hills and grounds where he used to spar with Daichi. All the compliments disguised as insults that they'd exchanged over bowls of noodles. It ached where Daichi used to cling to his leg. The injured leg which was now in a cast. With the crumbling of his mental health, the pain spread like wild fire. A beast unleashed on his body. It wreaked havoc and consumed him. And just when he began gasping for breath, Tyson's hand found the emergency button. He smashed it with the last of the energy in him and the nurses rushed in right as he was about to lose consciousness.

* * *

"How very juvenile!" exclaimed King, lounging in his chair, gaze bordering on disbelief as he dealt with Gabriela, who lingered by the table, hands clasped low in front of her. "After the last two conversations I had with him, I thought him a man," he spat. "Yet he's proven me wrong once again and bit the bait like a toddler. An absolute child." King huffed a laugh. "How _did_ you stomach that date, Gabriela?"

His secretary bowed her head in an effort to hide her amused smile, an elegant black choker decorating her throat, hair up in a bun. "I barely managed to keep my seat," she said, her voice too soft for the derogatory statement leaving her mouth. She glanced at him with a smirk.

King appeared deep in thought. "Kai's made everything comically easy for me," he said as he rose. "Now it's only a matter of time. You will make me proud, no, my darling?" He hooked a finger under her jaw and tipped her head toward him. Gabriela stared at him, unintimidated by the proximity. "You will lead him right into my trap?" King raised his brows.

"Yes, sir" Gabriela gave her word. "I will"

"Good" King patted her cheek, twice, then turned away, walking to the windows. He gazed out at the tips of other skyscrapers in the area, sensing an itch develop as he did. They were catching up. The Petronarch tower would soon be a dwarf among the other marvels of architecture. He needed to built new floors. Or invest in a whole new tower. That would take time, as a significant portion of his money was currently flowing into the construction of the beyblade stadiums. King would have to wait. All good things come to those who are patient, he reminded himself. He had waited for twenty five years, what was another month or two? Kai would soon hand him the world on a platter. He could erect all the skyscrapers he desired then.

"If you don't mind me asking," he heard his secretary speak. He'd almost forgotten about her presence. "What exactly is it, that you plan to do with him?" Gabriela posed her question with mild curiosity in her tone.

"Do you take me for a fool, love?" King quizzed with his back still facing her. "Do you expect me to go about telling the first person who asks about my plans for the manchild who controls the entirety of the Japanese market?"

Trepid silence followed his query. "No" said Gabriela, meekly.

"I thought not," King stated, pleased. "Now go bring me some tea," he dismissed her. "Run along, dear."

* * *

Kai visited Tyson the next day, at midnight. He'd bribed the nurses to get his way and see the patient when he was alone. He entered the quiet space and shut the door firmly behind him. Tyson was fast asleep.

He tiptoed across the tiles, cautious not to make noise, and stopped a few feet away from where he lay. He had been unable to catch a minute's rest the night previous, plagued by guilt and worry over Tyson's condition. Kai hoped he was getting better, bit by bit each second. He stood there, like he had the other day, watching and contemplating wordlessly by his former lover's side.

Tyson stirred in his sleep, a little furrow appearing between his brows, mouth drawing down into a more pronounced pout as fingers of his free hand latched onto the pillow. Was he in pain? Kai stepped forward, frowning slightly himself. Tyson moved again and sniffed, restless and agitated. Kai's gaze tracked toward the IV drip and bottles hanging from a hook. They were filled with fluid. One pouch half drained and connected to Tyson and one full to the brim. He wondered what type of fluid they were giving him, leaning to read the label. Saline water? Why did he need hydration?

The feeblest of sobs was picked up by his ears and Kai turned to find a troubled Tyson, lip wobbling as a tear slipped from his closed eyes. Kai observed the scene with alarm, gaze heavy on the drop of tear bleeding into the cover and staining it. Was he in pain? He wondered if he should tell the nurses. Tyson flinched, another bead of water escaping his lids. His pout grew the saddest Kai had ever seen and he sniffed. Tyson was crying in his sleep.

Kai inched to the cot, hands twitching in the folds of his coat, heart splintering and fingers floundering as he sunk into the mattress. The boy was being haunted by nightmares. He wasn't unfamiliar with the situation and knew what helped. Holding him close always worked, but Tyson was injured, Kai couldn't gather him up without hurting him. The midnight-haired boy mumbled something incoherent and Kai's hands freed themselves from where they were held prisoners to clasp his face.

He cried harder, body trembling as he did, a hand twisting and pulling at the pillow beside his head. Tendrils of tears streaked down his flushed cheeks and Kai cupped his face, helplessly wiping them away with his thumbs. Waking him up wouldn't help, would it? It must have been difficult for him to fall asleep at all, but Tyson flushed a deeper shade of red and went completely uneasy on the mattress. Kai bit into his lip, wildly scrambling for a way to make him stop flailing. Tyson was going to ruin his bandages and hurt himself if he kept this up.

Kai was about to call his name when Tyson broke out of his nightmare and woke up with a startle, on the edge of a cry for a help. Wide fretful eyes stared up at him and Kai reassured him. "It's okay" he told him. "It's okay. You're safe."

Tyson considered him with a desperate, hopeless look, before giving a minute shake of his head and saying, "I don't want to be safe." Kai's gut wrenched at the whispered words. "I want my dad back," Tyson's voice shattered as he barely managed to tell him, collapsing into a violent fit of sobs as soon as he said it. Kai opened his mouth, half gaping, half in an effort to soothe him, as Tyson clutched at his forehead and cried as if his heart was breaking. Kai's hands slid down his wet face in the vehement quivers and he was left shocked for an agonizing moment.

In all the long years Kai had known Tyson, he'd never once considered him weak. He'd deemed him naïve, yes. Too emotional, yes. But never weak. Because Tyson was the opposite of it. He was stubborn and brave, and stupidly reckless sometimes. He dived headfirst into things and didn't regret them. He accepted stuff he couldn't change and changed the ones he could. And if Kai had reckoned Tyson didn't have a limit, then he was wrong. He did. The limit was his family. The limit was his friends. Because whenever he'd faced any obstacle, he'd had those two to rely on. That was gone now. Tyson realized that those things could be taken from him too and if cruel men and demons hadn't succeeded in breaking him then, without the safety provided by his loved ones, now something as simple as a careless car could.

He'd lost his primary source of strength and with that his ability to fight the way he used to.

Tyson cried into his ear as Kai pressed himself closer, palms squeezing the other's cheeks as he muttered nonsensical things to calm him down. Time ticked by but Tyson's hysteria refused to ebb and Kai held on powerlessly, unable to soothe his pain in the slightest. He tried to recall what had comforted Tyson whenever he was agitated before. Belly rubs, but his ribs were broken. A hug, but his arm was in a cast across his chest. Words of love, but Kai had none to offer. Somehow he doubted Tyson would want to hear those from him. He considered him a liar.

 _Don't cry,_ Kai begged in his head like a mantra. _Please, don't cry. Please, stop crying. You're killing me, Tyson. Please stop crying. Please stop crying. Please stop, please stop, please stop._ He willed with all he had in him, on the verge of tears himself as he cradled Tyson's cheeks with convulsive palms.

Pools of warmth flowed from Kai's hands and seeped into Tyson, rushing to his chest and unfurling there, swaddling his heart and easing his sorrow. Kai had his eyes scrunched shut, lips hovering an inch from his skin, unaware of the strange heat leaking from his fingers. He heard Tyson quieten, his sobs subsiding as he shuddered against Kai, who drew back a bit to look at him. Slowly. Tyson had soaked his coat, having bawled into Kai's shoulder. He'd leaned in till their faces almost touched at some point. Tyson sucked in huge gasps of air, shaking with each breath as he finally gained control of his grief.

Kai let up with noticeable hesitance, coming to his own senses. He'd gone emotional too. He sat up at last as Tyson blinked and sniffed, rubbing wet fingers over his wetter face. Cool air rushed into Kai's lungs, the moisture that had accumulated on his skin during the past few minutes evaporating and reducing his suddenly risen body temperature. A breeze blew by the two of them, calming them further. Tyson regained his bearings with a final sniffle and glanced at Kai with observant eyes.

Silence stretched between them as Kai sealed his lips and studied him warily. Tyson inhaled, gaze drying and sobering as it flitted across the other's rigid frame. Kai sighed. Tyson cleared his throat. "Did you-" His voice came out scratchy and stuffed. He tried again. "Did you press the button?" he asked, indicating towards a button by his bedside Kai hadn't seen before. Kai looked at him confused. "For the morphine," he explained.

Kai shook his head no. Tyson regarded him curiously, a bit mystified. "It's for the pain. They told me I should press it if I'm hurting too much." He cleaned his snotty hand on the sheet in his lap.

"Does it hurt now?" Kai asked cautiously.

Tyson had that baffled look on his face again as his gaze searched Kai. "Not now" he said, tone unsure and puzzled, averting his eyes once more. Kai looked away and spotted lilies.

Flowers sent by people who cared. Were they meant to cheer up Tyson? Apparently, they weren't doing a very good job of it. "Do you want some water?" he murmured, turning back.

Tyson nodded quite eagerly. Kai got up, filled a glass of water from the flask on one of the tables and brought it to him, along with a chair for himself. He wasn't very comfortable with the idea of sitting on the bed next to him now that Tyson was conscious. Guilt thrummed steadily through his veins, the accusations of _"you did this to him!"_ being thrown at him by his own conscience. The various splotches Tyson had left on his clothes scalded like brands on his skin as they dried.

"Thank you" he muttered after drinking enough and moistening his lips, handing the glass to Kai, who accepted it with a polite incline of his chin. Kai despaired to make things right. Fix the repairs he'd caused. Save Tyson from the trouble he'd cast him into. The dangerous position he was in currently because they'd kissed a few years ago. But Tyson was in no state to have such talks at the moment. He appeared beyond exhausted as he caught a stray tear with a pinkie.

"Where are your friends?" Kai inquired. He'd been surprised to know when the nurse informed him that they didn't stay with Tyson through the night. Didn't his gang pride themselves on being excessively thoughtful and caring?

"They went home," replied Tyson. "I told them to go," he corrected quickly, rasping slightly. "They spend a lot of time here already in the morning. They don't have to stay at night too. Besides, it's not that serious. I'm..I'm okay."

Kai leaned forward. "You're okay?" he repeated Tyson's words back to him. "You were crying in your sleep."

"Not because I was in pain or anything," Tyson defended immediately, noble to the very core. "That was because of nightmares."

Then they should keep you company so that you can sleep in peace, Kai thought, but didn't say out loud. He rose to his feet and approached the bed. He should leave. He was overstaying his welcome, but then Tyson gazed up at him with big brown eyes and Kai sat down, their clothes brushing. "How bad are they?" he asked in a murmur.

"My nightmares?"

"Mhm"

"I get them all the time." He looked sad, like he was about to cry again, and Kai acted on impulse, not wanting a repeat of the earlier events. He took Tyson's hand in one of his own and the other didn't protest against the touch, he even encouraged it, padding frail fingers into the heat of Kai's palm. Tyson drew in a breath. "But they get particularly nasty some days." Kai ghosted a warming thumb over his chilly skin. "When I'm going through it."

The older boy had used to hold him whenever Tyson got nightmares during the brief period of time they'd been together. He wondered who held him now. If anyone did at all. He tightened his grasp on Tyson.

Kai remembered something his mother had told him once. How she'd managed to fall asleep when frightening thoughts and nightmares kept her from it. It was one of the few advice he recalled his mother giving him amongst what little he could remember of her. "Mother told me you could keep nightmares away by reciting things that make you happy."

Tyson looked at him with inquisitive eyes. The mention of Kai's mother must have intrigued him. "Your mother?" he asked.

Kai nodded.

"Does it work?" Tyson tilted his head with a dubious expression.

"Yes" He'd tried it himself. That was the only way he got any sleep these days. Tyson's gaze dropped away as he considered it. Kai softly ran his thumb back and forth across his hand. Tyson's lashes fluttered.

"Okay" he said quietly. Kai watched with tender fondness in his gaze as Tyson began reciting the things he loved. "My parents, Grampa, Daichi,.."

"That's going to make you sad," Kai told him with an internal wince. "You're supposed to-"

"No" Tyson interrupted him, voice scratchy. "They make me happy. Well...they made me happy. I'm thinking of the good times." Tyson assured him.

Kai nodded in agreement. He guessed that worked too as Tyson didn't look upset as he continued.

"My friends... Beyblade... running," He went on, moving on to name inanimate stuff and Kai suppressed a smile. "Ice creams... noodles... movies …...the sky in the morning, the sky at night, the moon, the stars," Tyson muttered with long gaps of silent thought in between the list, eyelids growing heavier by each one, voice falling octaves as the exhaustion took over and sleep arrived.

Kai drew tiny circles on the back of his hand as Tyson let his head drop on the pillow, grumbling about his favourite things, eyes sticking shut for a moment of rest, giving into the pull of tiredness before he shook himself awake to mutter about some more stuff he'd missed, then trailing off and leaving Kai hanging for another minute or two as he snoozed. The cycle continued till Tyson succumbed to a deep undisturbed slumber with Kai perched on the mattress beside him, their hands clasped on his belly.

* * *

 **Amy: The damn angst. You guys, I'm annoyed at this site. They won't let me format the chapters the way I want and it's soooooo irritating. The scenes when placed back to back seem a bit...confusing and rushed, don't they? They do to me. I wish I could put a wider gap between the scenes. Sigh.**

 **Thanks for the kind words of encouragement and also the screaming. It's good to know I'm not the only one doing that. Don't chew off all your nails. You need them to scratch your head while reading the upcoming chapters. I'll definitely check out the tumblr fanart. Thank you for trying to send a link and risking suspension. But you're a guest so you're safe I guess. Have a fun weekend. I love you. Take care of yourselves.**

 **Leave a review and let me know what you think. Bye bye. See you. More angst coming up soon. Leave some nails unchewed, guys.**


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the delay. College reopened so I don't get much time to write. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

You gave me a shoulder when I needed it

You showed the love when I wasn't feeling it

You helped me fight when I was giving in

You you made me laugh when I was losing it

 **Kina**

Kenny walked in early morning to find Kai sitting next to a sleeping Tyson, holding his hand. He cleared his throat to make his presence known and Kai startled, snatching his hand out of Tyson's grip and turning around to look at him with guarded eyes. The same ones that had been lingering on the former champ with tenderness and vulnerability when Kenny had first ventured in to the room. "What are you doing here?" the Chief asked, going on protective mode since his best friend was injured and he didn't want anything to bother him or make his condition worse. Kenny was well aware that Tyson hadn't forgiven Kai and if the cunning businessman was here to exploit his friend's weak state to win him over once again...

Kenny steeled his nerves to confront Kai, watching him warily as he got up from the bed and moved towards the door. "Visiting an old friend," came the clipped reply. Tyson was a touchy subject between them, they never spoke much of him after the fire, mostly talking beyblade whenever they met, but Kenny would have to have been stupid to not see this conversation was long coming.

"Wait" Kenny called over his shoulder before spinning to face him. Kai halted his steps, fingers on the doorknob. "How long have you been here?" He gulped with his words. "Did you talk to him last night?"

Kai's gaze flicked to Tyson and back, expression unreadable. He stared for a moment, then spoke softly. "A while"

How long was that? "Did you talk to him?" Kenny asked again, noting that Kai had pointedly ignored his second question. Kai looked pissed off, waves of frustration radiating off his form that Kenny wondered if he'd answer at all. Kenny arrived at the conclusion that he must have interacted with Tyson, how else could they have ended up holding hands? He felt worry as he tried to guess what they could have possibly conversed about.

"He was in emotional anguish when he woke up in the middle of the night," Kai muttered though clenched teeth, knuckled growing white around the knob. He met Kenny's gaze as if to convey he wasn't ass enough to force Tyson into uncomfortable discussions when he was already in distress. Then he looked away, hair falling messily from its perfect do into his eyes. He appeared almost human for a moment. A human who was a bit dead around the edges.

"His nightmares are getting worse because of the accident," Kenny voiced aloud. "He's in a lot of pain, both physically and mentally. Tyson lost so much, Kai. And he keeps losing and he's starting to take it all personally. He thinks the universe is against him." He let out a loaded and wobbly sigh, gaze latching onto Kai's rigid figure by the door. He took in his clothes and appearance and almost thought better of speaking the next sentence. He didn't. "I wish he'd get better, but your presence really isn't going to help him, Kai. It has the opposite effect. He never forgave you for abandoning him or us that night. He doesn't want to see you. Not after all this time. I hope you can understand why." Though his words were sharp and cutting, his voice was gentle. "I think it'd be best if you stayed away from him."

Kai finally raised his head. "I cannot stay away from him," he said to Kenny sternly. "He's in danger and he needs my protection."

Suddenly, all the pieces fell together and Kenny's eyes widened comically in horror. "You're responsible for this?" he accused, taking a step forward.

"You're well aware that I have enemies," Kai said in a tone that hinted at slight resentment. "And it's no secret that he and I were in a relationship. For all they know, he's the only weakness I have."

Tyson had mentioned time and time again how Kai was not who they all thought him to be or he was exactly who they expected him to be when they'd met him. Cold. Cold beyond comprehension. What kind of twisted mindset did one have to have to consider putting someone they claim they hold dear to heart in trouble as something perfectly okay? Kai barely showed any signs of concern or regret over the fact that he'd single-handedly brought this upon Tyson. Kenny looked at him with incredulity. How could he be so heartless? He spoke of the grave situation Tyson was in the same way he made remarks on blade performances. Either he truly didn't care or he was a terribly good actor.

"How are you okay with this?" Kenny asked him in a voice quiet as a whisper.

Kai clenched his jaw, averting his gaze. "As I said," he continued ignoring him. "I cannot stay away from him. I need to keep him close to ensure his own safety."

"Tyson will never agree to that," Kenny countered irritably. "He will never say yes to being babysat."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Kai challenged before disappearing out the door, not sticking around to hear Kenny's outraged response.

* * *

They took him off the morphine on the third day, so as to avoid developing an addiction to the drug. Max and Kenny came in to see him frequently but Max tended to visit him in the evenings because of classes and Kenny in the mornings. They kept him company for a few hours of the day. Mike and Emily checked up on him often as well, but they never stayed for long. To his great surprise, Kai had visited once too. In the middle of the night. He probably had chosen such an hour because he'd expected Tyson to be asleep then. And he had been before the nightmare woke him up and caused him to blubber into Kai's shoulder like a baby. He should have felt embarrassed about it but for some reason, Tyson wasn't. In fact, he didn't feel much of anything except...fear.

Irrational fear over things he could not control. He looked around at the four dim walls suffocating him and found no solace whatsoever. He hid his worries from his friends but once the morphine had been drained from his system, Tyson had begun to experience the niggling sensation of anxiety. It wouldn't leave him. He saw the bandages across his torso and leg and it simply worsened. The physical pain magnified.

Tyson thought to himself that if he'd been injured this badly by a slow car, how much worse it could have been if it had been...say, driving above 80 km/hr? And that car had apparently solidified out of nowhere. He hadn't gotten a second's warning beforehand. Who had been behind the wheel? The Russian? Did Kai break his promise to help him?

Was the Russian after Tyson now that Kai was no longer on good terms with him? And what if the accident had been a warning for something worse he was planning for Tyson in the future? That man had managed to get past Kai's trained office security, so it couldn't be that hard for him to sneak into an unprotected hospital room. What if he was out to take his anger at Kai on Tyson's prone form?

He glimpsed the pale blue walls and struggled for breath. Tyson reached a hand up to his throat and clawed, feeling something restricting his passageways. He found it was hard to breathe. His heart beat wildly and the tension in him kept increasing till he was audibly panting and blinking deliriously at his surroundings. He was so weak and defenseless. The murderer could walk in any moment and torture him. His worst fears surfaced and images of body horror flashed in his mind. Tyson wanted to call out for help but he honestly didn't believe anybody could stop the man from getting to him and ripping him apart. During his thirst to know more about mafias and gangs, he'd read and seen some things that had left him scarred. What if the man put him through the same types of torture that had given him nightmares for weeks?

Tyson's breath escaped him in terrified huffs and his clammy hand slipped on the bed sheet. For a brief moment he wondered what was going wrong with him before he remembered that he was in complete danger and decided to leave the hospital immediately. Tyson was extracting his broken leg from its prop with heaves of panicked exhales when Kai swept in and froze at the sight.

He saw Kai and his perfectly composed self at the doorway and the most of the crippling fear he'd been feeling left him right away. He lowered his leg and leaned back when Kai demanded what he was doing in a stern tone, his strong voice grounding him further. Some of the CEO's cool and calm air infected Tyson and chased the morbid worries out of him. Tyson found a modicum of control.

"I have to get out here," he told Kai anyways because while the man's demeanour rubbed off on him a little, his worries remained unresolved.

"Why?" Kai asked him patiently, crossing the room in long confident strides. "What's wrong?" he inquired once he reached the bedside, standing tall next to him.

He took in a breath. Tyson wanted to ask him if he pissed the Russian off, but held back. "This room is driving me nuts," he said instead. It was true.

He wanted to know about the status of Kai's relationship with the mobster so bad, but he'd told Kai himself to keep him out of it. That he didn't want anything to do with it. Wouldn't it be weird to suddenly ask him about it? But the panicky thoughts inside of him nagged and Tyson had to fight hard against them. Ask ask ask ask ask ask, a voice in his head prompted him. And Tyson gave in before Kai said anything. He looked up at the other with wide fearful eyes and spoke, stumbling over his words in the desire to know . "Di- did you do something to piss him off? The Russian guy is not mad at you, is he? Did you break your promise? Are you not helping him anymore?"

Kai looked taken aback by the sudden onslaught of questions and so he paused a little before answering carefully. "No," he said as his eyes scanned over Tyson, who sagged in quick relief. "We're still working together. Why?"

Tyson chewed on his lip, wondering if he should tell him. The memory of Kai gingerly clasping Tyson's face as he cried had the words spilling out of his mouth in the next second. "I thought he attacked me."

"Tyson," Kai reached a hand into his hair, combing through the messy strands. Tyson searched for his eyes and let him touch him. It was comforting. Kai had used to pet his hair in a similar fashion back when Tyson believed he loved him. He held his gaze. "He promised me he wouldn't touch you," Kai reassured him in a gentle tone.

"What if he-" Tyson was voicing his worry aloud but Kai cut him off.

"No. The Bratva takes their vows seriously."

So it had simply been a stray car.

Relief flooded into Tyson and he sunk into the pillow propped behind him and just breathed in and out for a while. Relishing in the feel of having been rid of anxiousness. He closed his eyes as Kai applied a tad more pressure on his scalp as he brushed fingers through his black locks. He was immensely grateful that Kai had shown up when he did or Tyson would have done something stupid. The older's presence was somehow more comforting than that of his friends. At the moment.

Tyson glanced up at his visitor and wondered what he was doing here. Kai's lavender eyes considered him curiously, fingers stilling on his scalp. Tyson wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled Kai's arm away from his head. "The walls are suffocating me. I want to get out of here."

* * *

Kai was gone for some time. He was supposedly speaking to the doctor. Meanwhile, Tyson felt a sickly cold feeling creeping up his chest and settling there, darkening his mood by degrees. The oozy thing spread across his heart almost physically, dulling the world around him to a muted, colourless grey. Wisps of black were slowly dissolving into the peripherals of his vision when Kai came back with a nurse and a wheelchair in tow.

He eyed the wheelchair and brightened up a fraction. They were allowing him to go outside. Tyson hadn't thought they'd approve when Kai had determinedly strode out of the room but here they were.

The nurse, a short, stubby woman, checked his vitals and tapped twice on her clipboard, mouth twisted in contemplation. She addressed Kai with reluctance splashed plain across her features. "Don't take too long, Mr. Hiwatari. It's only been three days since the accident. He's fragile goods. Do you understand?"

"Yes, maam," Kai grumbled, in a haste to shoo her out and move Tyson into his means of transport.

"Don't go far. You cannot take him out of the building or abandon the chair for a second. Be by his side or I will call the cops on you. As far as I know, you're not his friend or family." She sent a disapproving glare Kai's way and he raised his eyebrows in mild surprise and disdain before giving a slight nod. "Be _very_ careful with him," she enunciated, then spun on her heel to talk to Tyson. A smile took over her features as she cheerfully told him he was free to roam the halls for the next twenty minutes.

* * *

Clearly, Tyson hadn't expected the nurse to leave him alone with Kai. She'd helped him into the wheelchair and left soon after, letting Kai take control of it. Tyson had opened his mouth with a protest on his tongue but snapped it shut without saying anything as Kai navigated him to the hallway and rolled down it. Kai presumed Tyson would have crossed his arms if one of them hadn't been in a cast. Nonetheless, he pouted enough to make up for it. He didn't like the situation he was in, but at the same time, he wouldn't have been able to escape the hellishly boring hospital ward otherwise. He sat in a white gown in a very dark mood.

Kai watched him light up more as he went down several hallways and corridors till he reached the end of a eerily silent one and opened a small door that led to an empty verandah. The roofed back porch was small and deserted. Not in use but maintained clean by the authority for hygienic purposes. The open air visibly soothed the younger boy and the pout transformed into a quiet gasp.

The space was barely lit by a bulb on the far side of it, moonlight provided most of the silvery blue glow illuminating the verandah. The shade reminded him of the colours of Dragoon and he'd brought Tyson here because of that very reason. Kai had discovered it on the morning he'd been submerged under guilt and regret, feet seeking an isolated place where he could tear himself apart in peace.

He scooted Tyson as close to the railing as possible and stepped to the side as the boy looked up at the huge circular disk of white hanging in the sky like a piece of jewellery adorning the night. "I want to stand," Tyson spoke for the first time since they'd left the room. Kai looked at him with an internal sigh. The doctor had made it abundantly clear he wasn't allowed to support himself on his legs.

"I can't let you do that," Kai told him softly, aiming to lessen the blow. Tyson shook his head, refusing to remain seated.

"I want to stand and I will," he said stubbornly, then balanced a hand on one of the armrests and pushed upwards. Kai stopped him, pressing down on his shoulder to make him look at him.

"Tyson, didn't you hear the nurse? You're not strong enough."

Tyson removed Kai's hand from his body and made to get up again. Kai let out a exhale of frustration and offered an alternative. "Fine. You can stand, but let me help you." Brown eyes glanced at him dubiously. "You can't do it on your own."

Kai held Tyson's assessing stare for a full minute. Finally, he eased his grip on the armrest and slid his fingers into Kai's outstretched ones. His skin was soft and cold. The slate-haired boy sighed through his nose and bent to assist Tyson into an upright position.

"Don't apply too much pressure on your hand or you'll hurt your ribs," Kai said as he slid an arm around Tyson's waist. The other's eyes immediately fluttered up to Kai's at the contact and he was about to say something in dissent but Kai interjected. _"Let me"_ he insisted with a silent oath, gazing at Tyson from such disarming proximity. The younger's eyes burned with barely concealed anger. Kai knew it was only partially directed at him, most of that anger was aimed at his own apparent inability. Tyson's hand flexed involuntarily in his palm as he wound his arm fully around his torso, careful to keep low enough to not press his broken ribs while staying away from his hips.

Kai wondered if Tyson was reconsidering his decision now as they were tangled together and his warm breaths puffed across Kai's neck and collarbones. He tightened his arm and lifted Tyson with utmost attention. Fragile goods, the staff had told him. His heart beat a bit faster in his chest as Tyson supported most of his weight on one leg and the rest on Kai's arm that was still around him, underneath the arm in a cast. His right hand and left leg were injured. The ribs on the right broken. Kai thought of these and reconsidered his decision to help the other stand.

Moreover, Tyson was putting a lot of weight on his right leg and that would undoubtedly end up straining his ribs and so Kai pulled him in till his hip met Kai's abdomen. Tyson's face whipped toward him again and stole the older's breath as Kai caught a whiff of his skin. "What are you doing?" Tyson asked him distrustfully.

"Put your weight on me," Kai suggested in a voice that was rougher than usual. A dent formed in Tyson's cheek as he bit down on it from the inside. He took much longer to acquiesce his offer this time. The moonlight slanting on his face drew shadows of his eyelashes on his cheekbones and Kai dared to inhale a second time since drawing him near. Tyson's cool skin smelled like dried sweat with a hint of cherry Jello. "Either go back into the wheelchair or lean on me," said Kai. "You can't continue standing on your right leg or you'll hurt yourself."

The moment he said it, Tyson exhaled heavily and pressed his entire left side into Kai's front, placing his fractured leg in a way that allowed him to lean most of his mass on Kai, easing the heaviness on his right leg and anchoring himself with his hip and the steady grasp on the older's hand. Kai regulated his breathing as he fit his palm more supportingly on Tyson's waist. The gown the other was wearing was distractingly thin.

The night boasted a clear sky but there weren't any stars visible in its depths. A lone moon hanging like a drop of pearl in the vivid blackness. The verandah faced a mostly empty backyard, a dumpster or two could be seen in the distance, short buildings beyond them, a fence in between, the ground covered in mowed grass. It wasn't much of a view. The moon was the only thing worth mentioning. "I wish you had something better to look at," Kai told Tyson with his gaze on him, drinking in the sight and smell of him up close. It had been years since he'd held him after all.

Tyson shivered a little in his hold, eyes falling shut and sighing. He glanced down at their linked hands with an odd expression and stared for a while, then raised his chin, gaze wandering around the features on Kai's face, exploring with slight incomprehension. "I don't understand you," he said at last. Tyson's eyes caught on his nose, his lips, then bounced back up to his own. "Sometimes you act like an asshole, and then sometimes you-" he broke off, looking away, lashes fluttering as he blinked twice in quick succession. "You're like this," he concluded. "It's confusing," Tyson added in a huff.

"Confusing how?" Kai asked, absently noting that Tyson's skin felt chilly even through the gown.

"Because you either care about someone or you don't," resentment laced his voice thickly as Tyson scrutinized him.

"And I've told you I do care about you, haven't I?" Kai was surprised by the automatic gentle quality his own usually detached voice assumed as he talked to Tyson. He was almost whispering into the other's ear.

Tyson's temper rose. "If you did you wouldn't have left me that night," he said caustically. "If you _cared,_ you would have at least shown up after the attack. Don't tell me you didn't hear about it. They talked about it on the news for months." He exhaled audibly, anger writ all over his form. In his eyes, Kai detected fury, but underneath it was immeasurable hurt. "You _knew_ about my parents," he said with difficulty, pupils growing shiny. "You _knew_ about Daichi, yet you didn't call me _once_." The hurt was in his voice now and the ache poured into Kai's chest like acid. Tyson shook. "Me or _any_ of us. Why, Kai? _Why_?"

Kai swallowed at the intensity in the other's chocolate brown orbs. "If you'd let me explain," he began hoarsely, throat tight with emotion he fought to keep at bay. "I would tell you why," he vowed, lips brushing Tyson's ear as he spoke it to him like a secret. He seldom offered explanations for his actions to people, but for Tyson he was willing to go there. "You never gave me the chance."

Tyson looked at him for a long moment, irises rich with hurt, then he twisted around to face forward. "Fine" he agreed, his hand moving like he wanted to leave Kai's and reach for the railing instead, the older boy pulled him in impossibly closer, fingers squeezing till his thumb and middle finger met over Tyson's knuckles. The other tensed, mouth pursing and brows frowning. He appeared as though he had something to say, but he didn't as Kai waited.

* * *

He was in all black today. Black shirt, black suit, black shoes. And Tyson was pressed up against them all, even his bandaged foot lay on top of Kai's spotless Oxford. His hip jutted into the ridges between his ex lover's abdominal muscles, biceps squished against the other's chest, cheek grazing his lips. He could feel every slow breath Kai inhaled and exhaled, taste the coffee on it. Tyson had surmised the executive would be in the practise of using cologne these days but he'd been wrong. Kai still smelled like the boy he'd kissed all those years ago and the knowledge stirred up triggering memories. His body reacted to the familiar earthy scent and Tyson knew he had to put distance between them. He was unable to think this way. Did they have to be so close?

He opened his mouth but paused when he found out he didn't know what to say. If he told Kai to back up a little it'd be admitting he was affected by their position. By Kai. He pursed his lips in conflict. He couldn't listen to his explanation and trust himself to see it the same way as he would have if they'd been standing five feet apart. His perception would be tainted by the buzzing sensation he felt wherever their bodies touched. Hell, even now he paid more attention to the tightening of Kai's fingers around his own.

But Kai, ever the observant one, noticed his discomfort and suggested he sit down. "You've stood for long enough," he reasoned. Tyson took the opportunity to get the hell away and nodded. He didn't like sitting. That was all he'd been doing as of late and why he'd been so insistent upon giving his back a rest at first, but now he opted the safer of his choices.

Kai set him down on the wheelchair, muscles straining around his waist as he shifted most of the younger's weight onto his arm. Tyson tried not to think too much, making himself comfortable. Kai withdrew, breaking their contact, and Tyson breathed properly at last.

He watched as Kai slid his now free hands into the pockets of his creaseless pants and turned his chin to the moon, porcelain jaw gleaming in the heavenly light. A beautiful statue cut out of marble. A twinge of pain in his right side diverted Tyson's attention and he readjusted his posture with a soundless wince. "That night," began Kai, words intimate and private, only for Tyson to hear. "After we fell asleep, I received a call from one of Voltaire's personal assistants who had accompanied him on his trip to Paris." His throat bobbed as he gulped. "He informed me that Voltaire had died of a heart attack earlier that evening."

Tyson's eyes widened at the piece of news. He hadn't been aware. "Voltaire died that night?" he asked with shock. "I mean I knew of his death of course," he corrected quickly. "How else would you have come into power, but I didn't know it happened on the day before the attack." He stared at Kai in astonishment. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you wake me up and _tell_ me?"

"And what would have been the point of doing that?" Kai asked with genuine curiosity. Tyson literally felt his jaw flop open. Did he really not understand how that was the right thing to do? The wise thing to do? The usual course of action a normal human being would take in such a circumstance, oh my god? Kai returned his gaze coolly.

A telling silence fell between them yet Kai still didn't get it.

"Oh my god" Tyson muttered. This had to be some sort of a joke. Sure, Kai may have gone into shock at the news of his grandfather suddenly dying but come on, Tyson was right there. All he had to do was wake him up and let him know before doing anything else. "I have no words for you," the younger told him incredulously.

Kai scowled. "How would that have helped? Hisoko demanded I leave for Paris right away. I had little time to pack my things and you would have only stalled me by asking unnecessary questions."

Tyson inhaled deeply, in an attempt to calm himself and tried to see it from Kai's perspective. It was still a dumb thing to do. A whole dick move. The worst part of it was that, Kai, the abnormal kid, really did not understand what he'd done wrong. That he'd hurt Tyson by not telling him why he'd left so abruptly or where he was going.

He remembered opening his eyes the morning after and finding the bed empty next to him. He'd searched for him with a sore, aching body and upon realizing Kai was nowhere in the house or its premises, he'd come to the first insecure conclusion his mind had supplied and broken down to his knees. That Kai hadn't liked what they'd done and felt so disgusted by the act and Tyson, he'd run as far away from him as possible.

"But I realize now that my wordless departure had hurt you," Kai said slowly, not meeting his glare, sounding like he was reciting somebody else's statements. Tyson's jaw clenched. "I'm sorry," the CEO apologized sincerely. "It wasn't my intention."

"It hadn't" Tyson scoffed in response. Even if Kai hadn't been grossed out by him, it definitely hadn't meant to the older as much as it had to him. And he refused to let Kai believe that it mattered to Tyson enough for him to get hurt over it. It did and the bitter aftertaste of Kai's actions still remained in his chest. He could still recall exactly how it felt to walk around with the marks the older had left all over him and missing him endlessly for weeks after. Months even. It still ached sometimes and Tyson wanted to be rid of the feeling. "Besides you'd forced me into it," he said poisonously.

Kai grew very still, the colour draining further from his pale face. The temperature of the atmosphere around them dropped several degrees as his eyes went frigid on Tyson. "What did you say?" There was an odd edge to his voice.

Tyson was tempted to fold his arms in front of him. He hugged his good hand across his tummy, haphazardly shielding himself. "You emotionally manipulated me into doing it when I didn't want to."

"You said something entirely different that evening," he said quietly, taking a step forward. One half of his face was swathed in shadows, the other illuminated by the moon as he approached Tyson.

"You didn't give me a choice!" he countered. "You literally implied you'd end it if I didn't go along with what you wanted." And once Tyson had realized that a few months after the incident, he had hated Kai for it.

Tyson gasped as Kai took his chin between his fingers and made him look up at him, his thumb dug in slightly. "Tyson," his tone was glacial. "What you're implying is _assault_."

The younger boy gulped, gaze on Kai's angry glare. "I'm not saying you assaulted me. I wasn't unattracted to you but you should have asked me in a better way. You should have been more careful. You knew I was a virgin."

Kai let go of his chin and leaned down. Tyson pressed back into the chair. "And I didn't ask?" he muttered lowly, a threat in his words. His breaths were laboured. Indignation emanating from his form. Tyson clamped his mouth shut when Kai put a hand on either armrest and dragged the chair and consequently him towards the other boy. The younger grabbed a fistful of Kai's shirt collar to create a measly barrier in between. His childhood rival's violet eyes scorched into his own. Up close he noticed the betrayal swirling in them. "'Wasn't unattracted'" Kai repeated Tyson's words back to him, breathing coffee into his mouth, his exhales warming the midnight-haired boy's face. Tyson could count the light print on his pastel lips. "Pretending like you didn't want it just as much as I did. I haven't forgotten a single detail about it. Do you want me to tell you how much you 'didn't' want me touching you, Tyson?" he challenged, voice dropping lower, the bass vibrating in his gut. "Because I can."

At his question the images Tyson had buried within the deep recesses of his mind rose unbidden. He saw the lavender eyes, smelt the earthy sweat, and all the old feelings rushed forth, stronger and more overpowering than ever. "Don't" he said like a plea.

Kai inhaled, determined to call him out on his lie and ruin him along the way. Tyson twisted his head away, in a struggle to escape from the small space the other had crowded him into. Kai grabbed his chin again and tried to force him to look at him. The younger fought with all he had in him. _"You said you liked it rough,"_ Kai muttered into his cheek.

Tyson flushed with embarrassment. "I hate you _so_ much," he bit out vehemently, attempting to prise his jaw out of the other's grip.

"That while what we did on your birthday was nice, it wasn't as _satisfying_." Tyson recalled the instant he'd said that to Kai and coloured red from head to toe. He pushed at him weakly. "Wanted me to make you beg and I did. You begged so well. There were _tears_ in your eyes." His voice wrecked him and Tyson cried out in frustration.

"Stop!" He met Kai's eyes, chest heaving. Breaths mingling. Kai went silent, eyeing him coldly. Tyson worried for a second he'd keep going, spill the dirtier things they'd done into the night, expose how badly he'd wanted Kai to turn him inside out that day. He trembled in his seat and the CEO considered him for a moment more before he talked again.

"The next time you want to accuse someone of rape, back it up with plausible evidence," he said before dropping his fingers from Tyson's chin and straightening vertical on his feet.

"Rape?" he sputtered, scandalized. "That wasn't what I meant!"

"Yes, it was," Kai replied frostily.

He seethed quietly, unsure of whom he was mad at. Kai or himself. Months after the...the thing, he'd discussed it with Max and the blonde had observed that Kai should not have been so rash with him. He was younger and hadn't had much idea of what he was agreeing to. Tyson mentioned as much to Kai, in a last ditch attempt to save face.

"We were both _children_ , Tyson," the slate-haired boy said with exasperation. "I'm only a year older than you. I wasn't that experienced either."

"Then I'm _sorry,_ " Tyson let it go, although rather reluctantly. So Kai had left because of Voltaire's sudden death and he hadn't bothered to tell Tyson because he didn't see why he had to. That didn't explain his radio silence after the attack on the Tokyo stadium though. Tyson was about to ask when he heard a beeping sound. He tracked it to Kai's pocket and the other retrieved the beeping object – his phone - and switched it off. "Your time's up," he announced without a trace of intimacy in his tone as he tucked it somewhere inside his jacket. "I'm taking you back before your nurse comes after me."

Kai was mad at him. Rightfully so. Tyson's shoulders sagged in disappointment as the other wheeled him around.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, the OTP is interacting. That's always fun to watch. The chapter is dull because Tyson is. The plot will pick up after the next chapter. Anticipate it. Your reviews are heartwarming and very lovely to read. It's nice to know what yall think. I like hearing about it. So thank you for writing them. See you soon. Would you guys like music recommendations? I would love to recommend music that would go well with the story. Also, CHECK OUT THE SONGBIRD AND THE SEA BY MISSTERMAIA! Honestly, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that story.

Don't forget to leave a review! Stay safe. love you!


	14. Chapter 14

Update on Saturday. Gear the fuck up.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Better to be a strong man with a weak point,

than to be a weak man without a strong point.

A diamond with a flaw is more valuable

than a brick without a flaw.

 **William J. H. Boetcker**

Max gave Tyson a bath on the fourth day of his hospitalization and he immediately felt better, albeit still a little miffed. The bath had involved a lot of bickering and whining in the constricted space but Max had put his foot down and stunned Tyson into dumb complacency by yelling at him for two whole minutes. And his best friend had been right as always and the bath had left him in a much lighter mood than he'd been in since the accident.

Emily handed a brush to Tyson and he obediently combed his hair with it as Max collapsed on a nearby chair and drank huge mouthfuls of water. "He's a monster," his friend muttered between gulps, staring tiredly at Tyson as the brown-eyed boy smoothed out his fresh hospital gown and smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you, Maxie," Tyson said gratefully, dragging the brush through his bangs. They were getting longer and obscured his eyebrows, making his face look smaller and chubbier. Emily, endeared to her soul at the sight of a soft Tyson, reached out without thought and pinched one of his cheeks, earning a murderous look from the latter. "Where's Kenny?"

"I donno," Max said over a yawn. "He's probably with Kai, working on you know what."

"Has he visited?" Emily blurted out all of a sudden.

Tyson gave her a confused glance. "Who? Kenny?"

"Kai," she clarified after a brief moment of hesitation.

Tyson averted his gaze, readjusting his gown in his lap. "Yeah," he replied as nonchalantly as he could. Max sat up at his answer and considered him with poorly concealed curiosity.

"What did he say?" the blonde asked. "Did he stop to talk?"

Tyson hummed in assent and then quickly changed the subject, not wanting to discuss the finer details of their meeting right then. "I want tacos. Can we eat tacos for dinner?"

Emily had a knowing glint in her eye but decided to not push further. "Is he allowed to eat that?" she tossed gamely to Max.

"Of course I am," Tyson said with blatant conviction.

* * *

His friends left soon after dinner and the copious amounts of alone time to himself helped him put his conversation with Kai last night into perspective. He thought about it as logically as he could and came to a few conclusions. Number one, Kai was a major dick (a very important inference). Number two, he wasn't a complete lost cause, he had redeemable qualities, as shown by the fact that he'd come tended to Tyson's needs when he didn't have to. Kai may have ulterior motives, but none he knew about so far. May be he felt guilty about his behaviour towards Tyson in the past and was trying to make up for it? Possible. Kai had a track record of doing that, so Tyson could cut him some slack and give him the benefit of doubt. As he noted, redeemable qualities. Number three, Tyson had been a bitch last night. Now he could excuse himself and say that he'd been in a terrible mood and was going through a lot of horrible stuff but that still didn't give him license to accuse Kai of...yeah. Tyson couldn't even think it, yet that had been what he had not so subtly hinted at.

Truth was, Tyson had talked about that night to Max a year ago and he'd made some observations. That they'd rushed into it for one. And Kai's impatience had played a huge role in the whole rushing thing. Tyson had wanted to get close to the other boy like that but at the same time, he hadn't been very enthusiastic about jumping into it at the moment Kai had asked (in his own daring manner). But then he'd kissed him and Tyson had lost his ability to think. They should probably have talked about taking the next step in their relationship beforehand but...they hadn't. Like a couple of idiots. The end result of their stupidity had been wonderful of course. Tyson had liked it. Really really liked it. May be loved it. May be a little too much. The memories of that night still caused heat to curl in his gut so he avoided dwelling on it.

But Kai's abrupt departure after the act had soured it. Tyson had been left feeling anxious and regretful. Apologetic and resentful. And Confused and confounded above anything else. He didn't understand why Kai had disappeared so suddenly and along with the deaths of his beloved ones, he'd been overwhelmed by everything. His emotions had been all over the place and his reasoning askew. Something deep down kept telling him Kai had gone AWOL on him because he regretted what they'd done and Tyson hated, _hated_ the feeling that thought brought and so when Max had told him that Kai should have been more patient with him about the entire thing, Tyson shifted the blame onto Kai. They wouldn't have had done it if the older hadn't been so insistent upon it in the first place. So it was all Kai's fault in the end. Not Tyson's. If Kai regretted having sex with Tyson, he'd brought it upon himself.

Or that was the narrative he had been clinging onto before he brought the subject up with Kai. Now he knew the other boy didn't loathe Tyson and if the way he'd held him throughout the time they'd stood together was any indication of Kai's feelings towards him, it was readily obvious he liked touching Tyson. At one point, he'd even sensed the other sniffing his hair (that wasn't weird at all, was it?).

Wait. Now that he'd thought about it, he was pretty sure that Kai had kept his nose buried in Tyson's hair and neck for almost the entirety of... _it_.

Yeah. He probably had a smell kink or something.

Tyson ate his jello with pink cheeks.

* * *

Kai didn't show that night. Tyson had even waited up for him, keen on apologizing for his actions and finding out why Kai had never contacted them after the fire, but was faced with heavy disappointment at his absence. He did, however, visit Tyson on the fifth day. Two days after their disagreement.

Tyson wasn't allowed out of his room with his friends but he could roam the halls with Kai. Which in itself was suspicious as all hell. The dude probably bribed the medical staff to get his way. Tyson was wondering about other possibilities as well when they reached the verandah they'd spent time at before.

He argued for his rights to stand and was satisfied when Kai pulled him up to his feet and let him support himself. Tyson braced a hand on the iron railing with peeling black paint and gazed out appreciatively at the full moon in the sky, big and yellow tinted. He could just make out the craters on its surface as an awed smile crept onto his lips. "It's beautiful," he remarked, the words torn out from his chest.

"Hm" Kai's gaze was on him, Tyson could feel it on the side of his face, a tingle where it fell. That was the thing about Kai and his stupid stares. He looked at him like he was touching him. Touching him with his eyes.

"Are you mad at me?" Tyson asked, glancing back at the other boy so he'd stop the staring.

"No" Kai answered, looking away. He had two of the top buttons of his shirt open, a sliver of a milky collarbone peeking through.

"But you were mad at me."

"Yes"

"I'm sorry," Tyson said with an exhale. "That was...rude of me," concluding sheepishly as the right words eluded him. He was nervous.

Kai's gaze returned to rest plainly on him. "It was inappropriate," he provided.

"Okay!" Tyson exclaimed in mild frustration. "Inappropriate, rude, whatever. I'm sorry." He noticed his throat was dry. "I was in a bad mood and I – I wasn't thinking. It just came out. It was stupid. I was stupid." Something in the other's eyes niggled in his chest.

"You're not stupid," Kai told him delicately, a hand ghosted over Tyson's ear, tucking the slightly overgrown strands of hair there behind it. "The accusation stung, yes, but you wouldn't have said anything like that if there weren't some truth in there." Tyson turned to him with questioning eyes, a furrow between his brows. "I should have handled it in a better and less aggressive manner the other night but I was angry." He paused to contemplate the moon. "You didn't deserve it." This was too much and Tyson opened his mouth to protest, but Kai shushed him with his finger on his lips. The skin under it buzzed with electricity. "I took some time to think about it. I was a little too impatient with you, and may have unintentionally coerced you into saying yes when you weren't a hundred percent okay with it. I apologize for that." He withdrew his hand and tapped under his chin. "I'm sorry" he said with quiet fervour and Tyson felt his heart tug. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay" he assured him, sensing a pressure behind his eyes and a lump in his throat. "It's okay. We were only children," Tyson said recalling what Kai had told him before. They smiled tentatively at each other.

It was a tiny moment, nonetheless Tyson broke it quickly, dropping his head and shaking out his bangs. Kai leaned a hip against the railing, moving his jacket out of the way to slide the hand he touched Tyson with into his pocket. A breeze unsettled the younger's hospital gown and in a moment of carelessness, he abandoned the grip he was using to support himself and bent a bit to fix his clothes. A sharp pain shot up his right side and he gasped in shock. Kai caught him around his waist and went off on him. "Sit back in your wheelchair before you kill yourself."

"I won't die!" Tyson disagreed in a huff. "I shouldn't have bent down and squished my ribs. That's why it happened, not because I was standing."

"Why did you do that?" he asked, sounding dangerously like he was scolding him.

"Because the wind lifted my gown!"

"Lifted what?" Kai asked with an incredulous nose scrunch. "You're not an old lady."

Tyson gaped at him with a fist in the offending material. He thrust his fingers outward in a haste. "You did not just-"

"I did. There's nobody here except me. Why do you even care?"

"Exactly, you idiot!" Tyson hissed furiously into his face. Kai shut up and looked at him, gaze reading his expression for a second before it unexpectedly wandered down the length of him. Tyson wanted to squirm, but Kai had his arms around him, palms burning into his flanks through the flimsy cloth. "Let go of me," he demanded in a not-so-unaffected voice.

His hands slid off of him once Tyson had his on the railing again. He hobbled a bit to distribute his weight as required and focused on the chipping paint underneath his fingers. He noted with great unease that his stomach was in knots, heartbeat a little off rhythm. Tyson scowled, put off by his bodily reactions. He reminded himself of the last two years without Kai. How much pain and suffering he'd gone through and how much of it had been caused by the same boy. And the absurd feelings were wiped clean from his system.

They stood silently in the back porch, the moon keeping them company. The bulb on the far wall flickered twice then went out without warning, plunging them into more darkness. Murky natural light illuminated their forms as Tyson watched someone inside one of the short buildings in front of them draw the curtains on their window closed.

Flowers were scattered around the backyard, one or two plants that had managed to survive after their caretakers had abandoned them, lonely remnants of a flourishing garden. A bush of Datura half as tall as Tyson grew adjacent the verandah, a few leaves poking through the fence at his naked shin, tickling him when they swayed in the breeze. The flowers were in full bloom, sweetly fragrant white trumpets stretching up toward the sky. Tyson breathed in, hoping to catch their scent. "You still owe me an explanation for not coming to see us after the fire, Kai," he reminded him, with slight bitterness on his tongue.

He heard him shuffle closer, hesitant to speak.

"I mean I can understand why you weren't calling me up every month and asking me how I was doing because that's not you, but at the same time you can't completely ignore our past and act like we don't share a history, Kai," he sniffed. "I know- I know that there are people who do stuff like that. People who cut off ties with everyone they know when things get rough and just run away, but I never took you for the type." He glanced back at him over his shoulder after saying it, to check his expression.

Kai had his lips sucked in, chewing on them from the inside and not meeting Tyson's gaze as he seemed to struggle with something. He padded slowly towards him, inch by inch till he was standing right next to him, their shoulders brushing. He had his head down, slate hair luminescent in the dark as he sighed softly before looking up at Tyson, a storm in his eyes. He tried to converse with him through his purple irises, unsure how to use proper words.

The younger waited patiently, attempting to be as helpful and open as he can to the other boy as he had a visible fight with himself. Kai sighed again, a burdened exhale, he extracted his fingers from his pocket to lightly stroke Tyson's back through the gown. Once. Sending a wave of startling sensation up his spine and chest, jolting him to inhale sharply through his mouth. The hand stayed tangled in the cotton, a hairsbreadth from his ribs, but Kai appeared unaware of Tyson's bewilderment. He opened his mouth at last, to say something, but it hung wordlessly for a moment. He looked away to a spot behind the other. "I heard of the attack on the day of the funeral," he began, gulping. "And I remember that my first thought was 'is Tyson okay?'" Wind blew the younger's hair into his face. He wanted to swipe them back, but Kai did it for him, smoothing the locks into place and revealing his brown eyes. Tyson's heart gave an unwelcome twitch. "I didn't know how to reach out, somehow inquiring about such a thing over the phone didn't seem quite right. I wanted to fly back to Tokyo and do it in person but Hisoko had already made other plans for me. He'd arranged meetings with board directors the next day and they had all flown in to Paris for the funeral."

He found himself reluctantly agreeing with Kai about calling him. It had never been his thing. He never used the technology in all the time Tyson had known the boy and expecting him to do so in a very urgent situation was like asking for more than he was capable of giving. So Tyson decided to let that go, but why did Kai have to go to Paris anyway? He'd thought Voltaire was Japanese.

"Why didn't they bury him in his own country?"

"They'd decided to keep it a secret till the future of the company was secure. There were too many things to be sorted out without the added trouble of dealing with the press. So, they didn't let me go and I spent my free time watching the news." Tyson was mulling over his words when a very disturbing itch below his eyebrow made its presence known. He waggled it to relieve the itch only for Kai to run a thumb along his eyelid and stop the wiggling.

"I learned about your parents and Daichi, Tyson," he said in a whisper-soft tone, tracing the arch of his brow and finally looking into his eyes. Tyson's were sad, but Kai's were empathizing in their melancholic sorrow. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. I wanted to be, believe me, I did, but I knew you were safe and right then that was all I needed to know. And your friends were with you to offer you the necessary comfort. There was no explicit need for me in that situation. I knew you'd have preferred my presence, but other than give you a shoulder to cry on there wasn't much else I could have done for you."

Grief crashed into him at the sight of Kai mentioning his lost loved ones. The night had shrouded them in a blanket of comfort, shielding them from the harsh reality of the world, making it relatively easy to talk about the past, but to hear Kai of all people utter things he'd rather forget out loud and treat him like glass that could break any moment with eyes and voice coated with chocolate undid the stitches in his poorly sealed wounds.

"But I wanted to see you so bad," Tyson told him, forgetting the oath he'd sworn to himself after Kai's disappearance to make sure the other never heard of it as the corners of his mouth pulled down and eyes grew wet with tears. "I looked for you everywhere. I went up to the hill every night." A tear slipped past its confines and rolled down his cheek. Kai cupped it, gently wiping it dry, purple orbs glistening, Tyson's reflection mirrored in them. "Do you have any idea how much I missed you?" he asked, more tears bubbling up and spilling over, looking at the same face he'd spent months wishing to see. Kai tried to dry them with both hands, sorry for his actions, sorry for making him upset. It just made him cry harder and distraught, the other drew him into a ginger hug, pressing a heartfelt kiss to his temple.

"I came back, you know," Kai breathed into his hair. "I came back to see you a week later but you had already left with Hiro. The dojo was empty when I found it." The knowledge was startling enough to quiet Tyson. He rubbed a hand across his face, finally able to use it now that the other boy was supporting his weight. He looked up at him, no longer sobbing, the endorphins remaining from the brief breakdown floating in his body.

"You came back?" he asked with curiosity.

"Yes" Kai nodded.

"After I moved to America?"

He nodded again.

"Did you see Kenny and Hilary?" He couldn't believe it.

"Yes" he said and his voice was thick so he cleared his throat. If Kenny and Hilary knew then why hadn't they mentioned anything to him during their phone conversations? "They told me you'd moved to the States with your brother and Max and I was...surprised. You hadn't even stayed for a week. And I didn't know what else to do so I returned to the mansion, and began studying. I was tempted to ask Kenny for your new number but," he sighed in a self-deprecating way. "I had no clue what to say if you even picked up. I wasted time hesitating and before I knew it, half a year had passed since the attack." Tyson rested his hand on the other's chest unconsciously, lips pursed in focus. "I had an opportunity to visit you while I was in the States for a meeting about eight months later, but," Kai paused, gaze on the night blooms. "I didn't know where you lived or if you even wanted to talk to me after such a long time of silence from my side."

"Then why did you this time?" Tyson asked after a moment of thought. "Why talk to me now?"

Kai's eyes travelled to him and stayed. They were moist. "You kind of fell into my path and saved my life. I was unsure of approaching you mainly because I expected you to be cold towards me for avoiding you, but you saved my life, Tyson. How could I continue to hold back after that?" he asked and let a beat pass before speaking again, raising a finger to touch the tender flesh between Tyson's chin and neck. "And seeing your face helped too." The younger's breath caught at the look in the other's eyes. "Tyson," Kai trailed a hand up till his jaw lay along his palm, thumb under his lower lip. The midnight-haired boy's gaze fell unwittingly toward his parted mouth, simultaneously eager and anxious to hear what he was going to say. The moonlight grazing his lips made them appear so pale Tyson wondered if he bit them, red would blossom. He'd always been ghostly white. Kai. Especially the parts of him that never met the sun. Tyson imagined his skin was the same texture everywhere now that he rarely went out in daylight without some form of shade over his head. Even his mouth which had been pink earlier. The pink had faded to such a light shade they looked colourless in dark places. He didn't like it. Tyson licked over his own lips to smother the urge to lean over and suck till Kai's were a rich hue of red.

"I want to make up for my mistakes," he said, bringing the younger back out of his thoughts. "I want to make up for all the times I wasn't there when you needed me."

Tyson looked up at him with hooded, judgemental eyes. Kai was being sincere. "Okay" he agreed. "And how are you going to do that?"

The older's pinkie skimmed over his neck and he gulped. "Let me protect you," Kai implored and Tyson narrowed his gaze at him.

"Protect me from what?"

Kai drew in a big breath, and then exhaled with a heave of his chest that the other experienced against his body. "I have enemies, Tyson," he began, folding short strands of the younger's hair behind his ear as he frowned. "They might try to hurt me by hurting you." Tyson realized what he was saying and shoved at him angrily. Kai refused to allow him to step away. "No, wait, listen to me."

"I don't want to," Tyson told him, pissed off. "If that car had something to do with you, Kai, I swear to god-" He was so mad. So mad.

"Be logical for god's sake. This is not just my fault, it's both of ours!" Kai hissed as he attempted to subdue the other boy. "Stop flailing, Tyson. You'll hurt yourself."

" _Our_ fault?" Tyson asked him enraged, momentarily halting his struggle. "How?"

"How would either of us have known I'd become a corporate trash when we messed around?"

"No" Tyson said, seeing right through Kai's effort's to make him think otherwise. "No no no, I wouldn't be in this trouble if you weren't after King."

Kai stared at him like he was being thick-skulled. "Tyson you were already in danger just by association with me."

Tyson recalled the leaked pictures and wondered who had spread the information in the first place. He could say it was King but the Hiwataris probably had other rivals too. It could have been any one of them. He shut his eyes and relaxed in Kai's hold for a minute, trying to reign in his anger. Trying to not blame Kai for the accident. Because they were both accountable for the trouble they were in. Innocent actions spurred on by innocent feelings that had endangered Tyson's life along with Kai's because fate decided to be cruel on them.

Kai was wrong. This wasn't either of their fault.

He sighed tiredly and rested his head on the other's shoulder in defeat. He'd had enough for one day. Fingers carded through his locks. "Let me protect you?" Kai asked again, softer. Tyson nodded in approval at last and the other boy let out a small relieved breath, before nuzzling into his hair and tightening his arms around him.

* * *

A/N: GUYS, I LOVE YOU. Also, I got a couple of holidays so I thought I'd update.

It wasn't too much angst right? Just a little bit.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. You guys are so nice. I love reading your comments. They're so sweet. I'll update next week if I can. Next chapter will probably have more action in it so it might take me more time but we'll see. Have a fun weekend.

I lost my phone oh my god. Hopefully it's at college. I'll have a breakdown if it's not. Pray for me guys. Pray for my phone, I mean. Poor thing. It must be so lonely. Update: I found it! Thank god!

Anyways, have fun. Stay safe. Leave a review. I'll see you soon.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Alright, guys, this is the last week of classes before study holidays begin. This is literally hell week. I will update once I make it out through the other side of hell. Okay? Okay. Thank you for understanding.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 15**

I'm building this house, on the moon  
Like a lost, astronaut  
Lookin' at you, like a star  
From a place, the world forgot  
And there's nothing, that I can do

 **Jaymes Young**

The crowd cheered triumphantly, their collective cacophonies climbing and crowning a crescendo as Tyson beamed at the fans screaming his name. " _TYSON! TYSON! TYSON! TYSON!"_ On and on they chanted, banners and placards held high above their heads, successfully sending his ego through the roof. The three-time champ's eyes dazzled with a mixture of disbelief and euphoria as the corners of his mouth began to twitch up into a face-splitting grin.

" _Man_ " he thought to himself. " _That was way easier that I expected._ " Something about the way the people were crying out his name in sync made him feel invincible. He was invincible. He'd just defeated Kieran. The one blader he'd been sure would give him a run for his money. And he'd done it so easily too. The master of the terrifying Lonomia Obliqua hadn't tasted loss once since the start of the tournament, breezing through all of his games with high scores and leaving an armful of demolished blades after him. Not even Kai Hiwatari had been able to end his winning streak.

Not. Even. Kai.

A chuckle escaped Tyson as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that he, had once again, proved himself to be the best blader the world had ever seen. The realization sent an inexplicable wave of elation through him. " _TYSON! TYSON! TYSON! TYSON!_ " He closed his eyes and drank it all in. The cheers, the applause, the heady ecstasy of victory. This was another one of those moments that he was never going to forget. A memory he would cherish for the rest of his existence. Tyson Granger, the conquerer of conquerers.

What a sweet title.

May be he should officially add that to his name, he thought, feeling silly. And just as he did, a zing pierced through him. It traveled from the bottom of his feet to the top of his skull and up in to the air. Like a bullet. He opened his eyes in confusion and saw the oblivious crowd, still singing his praises, but the sounds were muted as though a veil had been drawn between him and the rest of the world. His body was drawn as tight as a bow, a strange sensation spreading through his veins. What was going on? Tyson tried to shake it off by taking a breath but as soon as he inhaled, a great, shattering force clapped against his entire body, piecing his soul from his physical form. The pain, which was too excruciating to be called so simple a word, entered him from all sides, rendering him blind and breathless. It choked him. He didn't understand what was happening. He was being dipped in agony, the likes of which he'd never known before. The enemy surrounded him, squeezing the life out of him. He couldn't take a second more of it. He wanted it to stop. Tyson cried for help but none came. His voice, he couldn't hear. He was on the verge of being ripped into a thousand shreds. The pain was everywhere.

 _Everywhere_

His nerves were ablaze. His bones were disintegrating. He wished for death.

But he found no solace.

Tyson woke from his nightmare screaming at the top of his lungs. He looked around and found himself on a couch in his brother's apartment. The lights in the room were on. The bed empty. The door shut. His leg in a cast. Tyson surveyed his body and discovered no new injuries yet his heart hammered away in his chest, like an express train. He was alone in his room. Not a soul around to console him. And the darkness began settling in.

When he'd lost his match against Kieran and ended up in the hospital, he'd forgotten about the pain he experienced before he blacked out. The reason why he'd ended up in the intensive care unit following the game. But now he could remember it all in vivid detail. Exactly how much he'd suffered that evening. His body ached from the memory of the trauma and Tyson didn't even try to hold in his sobs as they wracked their way out of him. Only a few minutes earlier he'd been feeling so high and mighty. Oh how quickly everything had taken a one eighty degree turn.

Just like his life.

He'd always been such a happy kid. Zesty and determined. He had had it all. He had been so loved and admired. He could still recall the way his fans used to look up at him, with such awe and adoration in their wide gazes. Now they stared at him in pity. Not only his former fans, but his friends as well. Tyson's gaze fell upon his broken leg and he grit his teeth. It was all he saw in anyone's eyes these days and he hated having that emotion directed at him. Like he was this unfortunate, fragile fucking thing that needed everyone's pity. A damsel in distress. A weakling. A failure.

And the worst part was that they were right.

He didn't feel like himself anymore. He was far from being in possession of the world. He wasn't a champion. Neither was he an inspiration. He was an addict and a loser. A weak bitch who cried more than he laughed. Grimaced more than he smiled and gave up without even trying once. Where had his spirit gone?

Where had his life gone?

Tyson glared at his cast. He couldn't even walk for fuck's sake. What else had he left to lose? He was bedridden and he felt rotten inside. His heart was heavy. It weighed a ton. His chest was too tight for him to breathe properly. There was a storm inside his head and a fire between his ribs. He felt restless and paralyzed at the same time. And he remembered the pain. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to live. Why did it have to be so difficult?

Something was dying within him, that if you sliced him in half and peeled his skin off you'd find an ugly large decay spreading outward from where his heart should have been. Tyson glanced around the room feverishly, searching for help. A way out. There was a deep ache in his chest and it constricted his lungs. His body began to shake. Tyson tried to get up from the couch, unable to stay still. He lifted his torso up into a sitting position and touched one foot to the floor. He couldn't use the other one to walk. Tyson slapped a hand to his forehead and reminded himself to take deep breaths. He found that he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. It was too confined. Too tight and too hot. He wanted to scream. Why was this happening to him of all people? What had he done to deserve such a fate? He yearned to break free of his body and run away. Run away from all of this. He was done. He was so done. He-

A thud on the floor alerted him to the sudden presence of someone else in the room. Tyson turned toward the open window behind him and noticed a boy picking himself up to his feet, dusting off his shirt as he straightened. Kai looked up at him, smoothing out his grey hair.

Tyson considered him with dread as he was in no state to face Kai at the moment. He was a disaster and he simply did not have the strength to pull himself together enough to pretend to be okay around another person. Tyson's fingertips were numb as he squeezed his thigh with them, humiliation threatening to hit him only a second away. He wished the boy would just disappear, and not put him through added ordeal. He bit his lip and held his breath, eyes begging as he stared at him. But then Kai's blank expression changed to one of veiled concern and his hands fell to his sides as he took a step toward the couch, body inclining forward as if to offer help. He appeared warm and safe, non-judgmental as he came closer and crouched next to the couch. Tyson's apprehension leaked out of him, relieved to have a friend. A quivering sigh left his body as the worn out walls around his heart crumpled and he wrapped his arms around Kai's shoulders and hugged him. He shook uncontrollably as the other boy returned the embrace without hesitation, moulding into him and staying there comfortingly. The warmth he radiated somehow managed to unclench Tyson's tense muscles and restore circulation to his fingertips. He'd been so wound up and the hug aided in releasing some of that tension, quieten his mind.

"It's okay," whispered Kai.

"It's not okay," Tyson spoke against his neck, shaking his head. " _Nothing_ is okay." He cried, but no tears ran down his cheeks. He'd run out of them. "It's all gone, Kai," he sobbed. "I lost _everything_." His hysteria mounted and Kai tightened his hold on Tyson, but his heart refused to slow down. The fire in his chest was a full blown inferno now. It blazed and burned him from the inside. A single tortured tear rolled down his cheek and Kai pressed his lips against it, staunching the bleeding wound in Tyson. The skin his mouth touched lost its heat, turning cool at the point of contact. Tyson calmed down some, closing his eyes as he attempted to reign in his sobs. The picture he'd been seeing behind his eyelids since the nightmare changed. It went black. Ceased to be.

Kai kissed his forehead, a dab of menthol and Tyson sighed as his brow unfurrowed and relaxed. He kissed his other cheek and it was like a bucket of water had been thrown against the hell in his chest. His face cooled and he stopped crying, but his breath remained shallow and unsatisfactory, not enough to douse his heart. Kai kissed him again and it healed him like a sunset breeze, so Tyson, desperate for a gulp of fresh air, turned his chin and pressed his mouth against the other boy's.

There.

A wave of relief washed through him and the weight on his chest was lifted high enough for him to finally be able to breathe. Colour burst in his vision, a lovely Argonic blue, as though he'd been plunged into the depths of the ocean, except cool air surrounded him instead of water. Tyson pulled the boy in closer and held him there as the fire in his heart was slowly put out, one tendril at a time. Tides of comfort sweeping over his smoldering ventricles. He didn't let go even as he found peace, and Kai stayed till Tyson fell asleep again.

* * *

"You need to eat more," Emily complained. "You're so skinny!" she exclaimed, poking his face.

Tyson swatted her away. "Stop, go bother someone else."

"No" she refused, before plopping back on the couch beside him and nearly scaring Tyson's leg out of his cast.

"Careful!" He moved his leg to a safer distance from her and glared.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, rubbing his good leg. "Hey, you were whining about your back hurting from lying down all the time, so do you want a massage or something? I'm quite skilled at it."

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

"Great!" Emily leapt up to walk around him and take the seat behind him on the couch as he sat up and stretched his spine.

"She's right, you know," spoke Max, from where he was folding Tyson's clean laundry on the bed. "You do look a bit...uh...under the weather."

Tyson narrowed his eyes at him. "Gee, thanks, Max. I love the compliments. Keep 'em coming."

"It's not because of a lack of food," said Leah, who had just appeared at the doorway. "I make his favourites, yet he still doesn't eat much."

"Because he's sad that he's out of the championship," Mike commented without taking his eyes off the radio, undecided on a channel. Tyson tensed at Michael's wording as it triggered memories of another championship he'd been kicked out of. "He needs some cheering up. Aha!" Mike hooted, before he turned the volume up and grinned. "Found it," he singsonged. Sickick started playing and Tyson frowned. "You love this song."

"That's on the radio?" Tyson asked confused.

"Ofcourse not," Mike said, disgusted. "The radio's trash. I found your CD." He held up the cover and Tyson nodded.

"Wow, that is one horrible song," Emily remarked, kneading a knot in his back. It felt so good he forgot to be mad at her for a second.

"Do you wanna leave?" he asked her, looking over his shoulder.

"Nope" Emily smiled at him.

"Then don't insult my taste in music," Tyson threatened, making the other boys in the room laugh and Leah crack a smirk.

"Okay" Emily agreed, drawing out the two syllables and resuming the massage. Tyson melted against her ministrations and waited for night to fall.

* * *

A/N: He's a fallen warrior. *sighs* Hola! This chapter was supposed to be way bigger but that would've taken me a lot longer to write and I really didn't want to make you all wait any longer. I mean it has been...how many months since the last update? I am so sorry for taking such a long break but I needed that time to sort everything out. I wasn't very well. But I am back now and I MISSED YOU GUYS. This chapter was very short but I promise you the next one will come out soon and it will be bigger. Lots of plot coming up as well. The pace is going to pick up from here. I hope it wasn't too much and I look forward to your response! Thank you for being patient and sending me warm messages of love and support and also thank you for still reading this motherfucking saga. Shit has no end.

But anyways, see you soon. Take care! Leave a review! Bye!


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Love will remember you,

love will remember me

I know it inside of my heart,

Forever will forever be ours,

Even if we try to forget

 **Selena Gomez**

Tyson was signing his own cast for kicks when Hiro dragged himself into the spare bedroom they'd cleaned up to temporarily house Tyson to take care of him. Hiro situated his ass on a chair right across the couch where his brother was lounging and opened his mouth to disturb the peace of the quiet afternoon.

"Have you been able to recall anything that might be of importance to me?"

Tyson sighed heavily before putting the cap back on the sharpie to appraise his only relative who was still alive with a dead look. "No"

Hiro spread his knees a little wider and leaned forward, asserting dominance over his younger sibling. "You said you were in the middle of a beybattle when it happened."

"Yep"

"You also said that you saw stars and planets. Can you describe the whole setting once more?"

"No"

"Why not?"

Tyson sat up with a frustrated growl. "Because I'm tired of repeating the same thing over and over and _over_ again!" Hiro's eyes widened at the sudden outburst and he reared back to look at Tyson like he'd gone crazy.

"I'm just asking you to help me out a little bit here," he said with patience. "I might be onto something big and you're the only one who has any relevant piece of information to share. What if you'd missed out on something when you told me about it the first time and the second time-"

"And the third and the fourth and the fifth?" Tyson scoffed and stood up, balancing on one leg and reaching for his crutches. "You're insane, Hiro. Brooklyn's death has driven you over the edge," he said knowing he was causing no small injury yet still feeling no remorse. He'd taken enough of his brother's shit.

Hiro flinched at the words but tried to hide it by staring condescendingly and pitifully at Tyson before pulling himself up to his feet and leaving without another word.

The former champion hobbled all the way to the window and closed his eyes as the door was shut and he was alone again. He hadn't meant to get angry with Hiro but his brother had been pestering him day and night with the questions about another dimension. A dimension of bitbeasts that was accessible to humans who believed in it and could connect with it.

A dimension he'd seen with his own two eyes. The most beautiful place he'd ever had the opportunity of witnessing. The place where the good and the bad reigned separately yet in harmony. The more time he spent thinking about the place the more memories it brought back. Memories that were not all his. Because even though Kiaan, the sassy Indian blader whom he made friends with during the last beyblade championships, had told him about a little known tribe in the jungles of Brazil called Ararangua he had never been to the land himself. But somehow he now had memories of it. He knew the small houses made out of straw and wood. The scary and wonderful traditions they followed. The scantily clothed kids with skin the colour of wet earth. The huge towering trees that inspired respect in the hearts of those who came across them. The rivers. The pockets of streams. The animals and insects and formidable bitbeasts. And the sweetest boy ever named Kieran.

The boy who had thrown himself in danger to save his worthless life.

Except Tyson had never considered his life worthless nor had he known Kieran when he was still a kid. Somehow Tyson knew exactly how the extremely talented Brazilian blader he'd met two years ago had looked when he was six years old. And he also knew his kind parents who were the rulers of the tribe, his favorite hiding spots and every other thing about a young Brazilian boy's lonely life as the only offspring of a tribe chief.

Tyson didn't know how he got these memories but he had a strong hunch of whose they were. As Kieran didn't have any human friends when he was young, they could only have belonged to one entity. His god-awful bitbeast Lonomia Obliqua.

* * *

"I'm not against having my shit kicked in," Mike was saying as he chewed on a pack of gummy bears. His best friend dissolved into a fit of laughter and he watched on fondly as Tyson fell off his crutches and landed on the couch still laughing his head off. Mike joined in a second later and the tirade went on for another whole minute till Tyson finally wiped a tear of joy from his eye and quieted.

"Ah what'll I do without you, Mikey?"

"I donno" Mike tossed a gummy bear to Tyson who caught it with his mouth and sat back smugly. "I see you didn't lose your skills in the accident."

"Heh"

"When is your boyfriend gonna ninja in through the window?" He asked very casually and Tyson proceeded to promptly choke on the candy.

"Noh muh bofren," he managed to say as he unscrewed a bottle of water and chugged it down.

"I thought you said you kissed him?"

"I did" Tyson cleared his throat and placed the bottle on the worn out coffee table before him. "But it wasn't like a…" he paused to think of the proper word. "It wasn't that sort of a kiss," he said finally and then nodded in affirmation.

"There are different types of kisses now?" Michael gave him a look.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" He held his hand out for another gummy bear.

Mike asked him to explain as he gave up the whole pack of chewy candy to Tyson and stretched out on the bed.

Tyson snorted, then popped a yellow and green one into his mouth. "It wasn't a romantic kiss, you asshole, it was more like a I-need-all-the-affection-you-are-capable-of-giving-me-right-now kiss." He thought about his wording for a second and then nodded again. "Like a bro kiss."

"A _bro_ kiss?" Mike teased.

"Yep"

"You want a bro kiss from me?" Mike offered generously.

"No" Tyson rejected with a grin.

* * *

The minute hand struck twelve at the same time there came a knock on the window. Tyson twisted around to watch with mild fascination as Kai made a small leap and neatly rolled into the room through the open window. "I swear this will never get old," he commented as Kai drew himself to his feet and shook the leaves out of his hair. "Hi" Tyson greeted cheerfully.

Kai glanced up and met his eyes. "Hi" he replied with the ghost of a smile on his lips, adjusting the collar of his black turtleneck. The change of attire was such a refreshing sight Tyson sat there and drank him in for one long beat. "I see Hiro's been doing his job again," Kai remarked, gesturing toward the chair that was situated across the couch in a confrontational manner. "He never disappoints."

Tyson chuckled and offered it to him, "Sit."

Kai hesitated for a moment, rubbing the palms of his hands against the sides of his hips before repositioning the chair and sitting down.

"He came in today afternoon and asked me about that place again. I'd love to say I don't get why he's obsessed with it but I do."

"That moron thinks Brooklyn's still alive."

Tyson gave Kai a sideways look at his colourful choice of words for his brother and felt his lips twitch up at the expression of scorn painted on Kai's face. "It's not just that. Hiro has always been passionate about things related to beyblade and this _is_ something huge for him."

"That's still no excuse for the way he's been behaving with you," Kai argued.

Tyson pinched the inside of his elbow as he considered the other boy. "You're right," he said eventually. "But I'm used to it." He kicked his good leg up to join the broken one he'd propped on the coffee table and sank back into the couch a bit. "He's _always_ been like that."

"High time he got checked in for anger issues," Kai said with a shake of his head.

"Shut up, Kai," Tyson chided, chucking a cushion at him. It missed his face as Kai caught the cushion and set it on his lap. "You're being mean."

They stared at each other for a moment, the quietness blanketing them exaggerating every move, every breath, before Tyson broke the silence by speaking again. "I wanted to talk to you about last night," he began, taking his feet off the table and sitting upright, anticipating an awkward conversation ahead. "I mean, that must have looked _really_ weird to you." He laughed to ward off the tension. "The least I can do is give you an explanation for the way I-"

"You don't have to," interrupted Kai.

"But I _want_ to," assured Tyson, gaze intent on irises the shade of the sky at dawn. "You need to hear this." Kai seemed like he wanted to argue but he chose to close his mouth instead, rearranging his grip on the cushion. "Do you remember my match against Kieran?"

Kai nodded.

"Yeah, well, then you must know that I lost my memories from that night and the night before. I don't know how or why, may be it has something to do with the accident but I…remember everything now."

"Really?" breathed Kai.

"Yeah! Like the things I forgot….the match, how tense Kieran was and all the things he told me about his father and his bit beast and," he paused to look up at Kai as he recalled the rest of the events from the night he talked to Kieran. "You," he said slowly. "Setting your blade on me."

"I wasn't-" Kai began but Tyson cut him off.

"I know, I know, you weren't aiming for me. You wanted to hit Kieran." He rolled his eyes and then immediately stopped when he reminded himself of the reason behind Kai's anger and was suddenly plagued by guilt. "You were having hallucinations around that time, weren't you?" he asked softly as he regarded the other boy who held his gaze for a beat before glancing away at the expression on Tyson's face, lips thin.

Tyson looked at Kai and wondered how difficult it must have had been for Kai to go through all of that alone. "Why didn't you reach out to someone back then?" Kai refused to meet his eyes, fingers interlocked tightly. "You were going through so much and you didn't tell anyone about it till it was all over. You could have at least told me." He scooted forward trying to get Kai to look at him. "I could have helped," he said feeling all kinds of regret and sadness. "I could have been there for you back then the way you were there for me last night." At that, Kai finally raised his head and Tyson felt the change in the air. The kiss. The way he'd pulled the boy in like he had any right to. Like he could take what he wanted and not worry about hurting his feelings because he didn't have any. Because he'd hurt Tyson multiple times and that gave him the wrong sense of a right to hurt him back. But Tyson knew that wasn't right. He shouldn't take things from Kai when he wasn't planning to give anything in return.

"I'm glad you showed up. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't," Tyson said to Kai. "One minute I was asleep and the next it was like I was back in the arena with..." He paused, struggling to describe the pain to Kai. "I don't know what happened. I'd won. I was already starting to celebrate but then all of a sudden this… _thing_ just crashed into me and…." Tyson shuddered, recalling the sensation of needles piercing through his skin. "There was so much pain. I was in so much pain and I didn't know how to handle it. It was like everything was hitting me at once and…" he sighed, pressing his lips together and shrugging with open palms. "You know the rest."

A slight crinkle marred Kai's brow and his gaze darted all over Tyson, taking in his frame, making sure he was okay. Tyson smiled, fisting his t shirt with one hand, feeling slightly naked under his scrutiny. He opened his mouth, about to tell Kai that he hadn't meant the kiss when a weight in his lungs stopped him short and an unreasonable pang went through him. Kai's periwinkle irises met his and for a wild moment Tyson felt like Kai knew. Like he had always known things about Tyson.

He dragged in a breath and told him, with an unsettling sense that he was making a mistake. "I'm really really thankful that you were there for me last night but at the same time I shouldn't have taken advantage of you." There. He said it. Tyson swallowed as Kai's eyebrows jumped up.

"Taken advantage of me?" Kai asked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Tyson gulped again. "I shouldn't have kissed you." Kai's gaze was unreadable. "And given you the wrong impression."

"Wrong impression" Kai repeated.

Tyson felt like his throat was clogging up so he cleared it. "Yeah I'm not interested in you. Not like that. Not anymore." Kai straightened his spine and sat back in the chair, body tense. "It was just in that moment, I…needed it," he finished his sentence with his voice slightly breaking at the end. "But I shouldn't have done that. I really shouldn't have." He looked at Kai, his heart in his throat for some reason. For a split second he wanted to take his words back and he didn't know why, because he truly hadn't meant the kiss but the look in Kai's eyes bordered on hurt and he didn't like that he'd put it there. It was gone as soon as it came, along with the vulnerability in Kai's face.

"I'm sorry" said Tyson.

"It's alright," Kai assured him with a shake of his head, voice perfectly composed and collected. "I don't mind and you weren't taking _advantage_ of me," he added with a dry laugh.

Tyson wondered why he felt like such an asshole. It wasn't as though he hadn't rejected people before. Hell, he wasn't even rejecting Kai. The boy hadn't even reciprocated when Tyson had kissed him last night. He'd only gone still and rigid and let Tyson selfishly take everything Kai was willing to give him.

May be he felt bad because they had history. He remembered the beybattles. The silly bickering and the little kisses. The hand holdings and cuddles. The way Kai had been the first person he wanted to tell when something happened. The way Kai had always listened even though he pretended to be annoyed. The way they had used to gravitate toward each other in a room full of friends and family.

But Tyson was not in love with Kai anymore. He was no longer his number one. Or the first person he ran to whenever he had something exciting to share. They weren't the same two people who had bladed together once. They didn't have what they once had with each other either. When they'd kissed last night the chemistry that had kept drawing them back together each time they went their separate ways for all these years had been absent. And may be the slight pang he felt in his heart now was because the 16 year old Tyson who still existed somewhere deep within him was sad that he and Kai were well and truly over.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Tyson asked as he got up and moved to the mini fridge against the opposite wall with the help of his crutches.

He heard a heavy sigh and the scrap of chair against the floor as Kai rubbed his face with his palms and stood. "No" he answered.

Tyson chalked up the flurry of excitement he'd felt in his belly when Kai had run his hand through Tyson's gown in the hospital and every other incident that had stirred up a similar reaction in him while he was still in the hospital to side effects of the leftover morphine in his system. Because if there was any chemistry left between them even now it should have made him feel a lot more than just relief when he'd kissed Kai the night before. And just to prove it to himself Tyson let his eyes look when Kai stretched and his shirt rode up to reveal a sliver of the smooth, milky skin that hugged the side of his waist and the dip above his left hip that travelled into the front of his jeans.

Nope. Nothing there.

Tyson released the breath he had been holding as Kai relaxed and the shirt fell back into place. He took a bottle of banana milk from the fridge and bumped it closed with his crutch. "Damn, it really sucks not being able to walk properly."

"Two weeks more, Tyson," Kai said as he leaned on the window. "Two weeks and you can start walking without help again. Hang in there."

"Mmm but like," Tyson talked as he hobbled over. "I am sick of being helpless. I'm pretty sure my friends would wait hand and foot on me if I didn't yell at them every time they tried to assist me but yelling gets exhausting after a while. It's hard to yell." He finally made it to the window and balanced the crutches against the adjacent wall before hauling his ass on to the sill and getting comfortable next to Kai. It took some wiggling as one of his hands were occupied by the drink. "Whew" he exhaled after he was all settled and glanced up to find a bemused Kai staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing" Kai looked away.

"Do you want banana milk?" Tyson offered the same bottle Kai had seen him slobber over like a dumbass. Kai declined and Tyson sealed his lips around the mouth of the bottle and downed three fourth of it in one go. "You must think I'm such a sissy," he said after he'd wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

Kai turned around to face him, leaning his back on the pane, a question in his eyes.

"Lily-livered," Tyson said with self derision in his tone. "How many times have you seen me cry now? Oh forget crying, how many times have you seen me bawl my eyes out? I bet you think I'm weak as fuck."

Kai smirked. "If I thought that I wouldn't be here right now," he said lowly, gaze hooded. He was practically glowing in the moonlight tonight. The black of his attire bringing out the colors of his eyes and skin.

Tyson considered him for a moment before breaking into a grin. "You have a weird way of complimenting people."

Kai snorted. "I try"

Tyson aimed a good-natured kick at his rear and Kai got pissed.

"Unless you want me to break your other leg you better not kick me again," he threatened and so Tyson kicked him again, harder this time. Kai grabbed hold of his foot before he could move it out of his way and when Tyson tried to wrestle his leg free, he clamped down on his calf and twisted both hands in opposite direction to warn him. "Don't fucking tempt me."

Tyson growled, feigning anger, but there was a full grin splitting his face in half. "Let go of my leg or I'll pour banana milk on you, Kai. I don't care about your Armanis."

"Is that a dare?" he asked, tightening his grip on Tyson's leg and dragging him closer, almost tipping him out the window.

Tyson cried out in surprise. "Aaargh I almost died, you jerk." He steadied himself using Kai's shoulders, the bottle positioned in a way that threatened to spill all its contents on Kai's beautiful black designer clothes. "I swear to god, Kai," he said at the same time as Kai gritted out, "I swear to god, Tyson."

This gave them pause and they took in each other for a moment before Tyson burst into a grin that was so happy Kai smiled back at him.

Tyson faltered at the sight, his heart skipping a beat at the way Kai's eyes crinkled and his lips curved around his teeth. He was tempted to cup his face with his hands and almost gave in before the grin fell and Kai took a look at Tyson's expression. All of a sudden he seemed way too close and not close enough at once. Tyson's hands curled not knowing whether to pull him in or push him away, the way they had two years ago when Kai had first kissed him in the training room. But Kai dropped Tyson's leg and stepped away, making the decision for him.

Tyson ground his teeth together in frustration before letting it go in favor of talking to Kai about the memories he'd acquired from Kieran's bitbeast.

* * *

"The custom-built blades don't give you new powers, they enhance the power you already have."

"So if Tala could create a tiny island of snow earlier, he can freeze an entire continent if he wanted to now?"

"Correct"

"I'm scared"

Kai rolled his eyes at the conversation Matsuda was having with Kenny and ordered them to seal the dome. They were at the construction site of the new arena. The stadium was designed by Kenny and the construction undertaken by a world class company. Fashioned in the shape of an oblate spheroid, the stadium could seat 44,000 with 16 air conditioned lounges standing five floors above ground and two below. From its center rose a transparent shatterproof glass dome wherein the matches were going to be held. As of now, there was a blader inside on standby, ready to launch his blade on cue.

The great glass dome was sealed from all sides and Kai gave the instruction for launch. The blader let it rip from where he stood on a platform at the height of fifty meters and the blade that was custom built for speed barreled to the opposite wall of the dome at a speed of a bullet fired from a gun. The beyblade struck the glass and Kenny measured the impact attributes as the blade bounced off and landed a few meters above and continued its journey upward and around. "It holds" exclaimed Kenny, clapping and jumping like an excited puppy.

Kai didn't let it faze him. "Do it again. With more power and bring in Tala. Let's see how well it can take an attack at minus fifty degrees."

"Yes, Kai-sama," Kenny grumbled out before he could catch himself and then he slapped a hand across his mouth, completely dumbfounded. "I meant _Kai_. Kai."

Kenny flushed with embarrassment but Kai never noticed, mind preoccupied with something else.

* * *

Wolborg Z spun a blizzard into existence, freezing the entire 50 diameter dome under 3 seconds. Tala gave the cue and the first blader atop the opposite platform unleashed an attack on the rotund enclosing, his beyblade clashing with the thick laminated glass with a great thud. The blade bounded back, straight into its wielder's awaiting palm.

"Hmm" Kenny observed out loud. "The dome can withstand a blade fired at fifty thousand rpm at a temperate of minus forty nine degrees, but we still don't know its limit."

"R and D claimed much higher than that for sure," replied Kai.

"The dome can withstand attacks from any beyblade, Kai-sama," reiterated Matsuda, the head of R&D. "The highest acceleration ever recorded for a beyblade was Dragoon G launched by Tyson Granger, three years ago, at the last world championship held by the BBA, at ninety thousand rpm." A muscle ticked in Kai's jaw as he clenched his teeth. "I can assure you that the dome can hold against his best attack."

"Um" began Kenny, "while you're not technically wrong about that, Matsuda-kun, Tyson Granger is not the only one who has reached that number before."

"Who else has reached that number?" Matsuda asked Kenny with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Kenny pointedly looked towards a pissed Kai and Matsuda's jaw dropped further. "Really?" he mouthed in awe, giving his boss a once-over.

"Could you excuse us for a moment, Matsuda?" Kai asked with fake politeness, snapping the employee out of his stupor.

"Oh! I'll leave!" He bowed once and scurried away.

Kai turned toward Kenny with a sigh, and the latter immediately put his hands up. "I was only stating facts."

"Did you have to do that?"

"Come on, Kai. It's true. Stop being so uptight about it. You used to be proud of these things."

"Shut up, you sound like Tyson."

"A wise man once said-"

"I don't want to hear it."

Kenny exhaled, smiling wryly before speaking in a more serious tone. "You're one of the best bladers the world has ever seen, Kai. And I know that you only managed to achieve the things you did because you were passionate about beyblade in a way most players who play the sport aren't." Kai glanced away, gritting his teeth. "If you want to know how well the dome holds against the best attack, climb up there and see for yourself," challenged Kenny, producing Kai's blade from his pocket and offering it to him on his open palm. The former Dranzer-wielder gasped softly when he saw the beyblade that was made for him. It lay on his palm, finished in sleek red and black, flames licking along its sides. "Because it doesn't get any better than you."

* * *

A/N: Eh hello? its been ages i know but college has been kicking my ass lately. ill try not to disqppear like that again. Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed. Take care. see you soon. leave a comment if you want to let me know what you think. Byeeee


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: THIS SITE has a weird paragraph breaker and they don't let me use scene breakers the way I want so I had to find a way around this problem and for scene changes I'm not gonna use the horizontal rule from this chapter onwards. I'll edit the rest of the story in this way later. Just wanted to let yall know. I hope you dont mind the sudden change.

Also, I bet my ass yall weren't expecting an update. Merry Christmas, loves!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 17**

In life, in love, this time I can't afford to lose

For one, for all, I'll do what I have to do

You can't understand,

it's all part of the plan

 **Fleurie**

What the fuck had Alistair King been doing in Brazil of all places?

Kai unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and popped his cuffs free, a tall cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk. According to the memories Tyson had gained from the _caterpillar_ , King had met Kieran long before the boy hit the age of twelve - the age when Kiaan had claimed they'd met for the first time. King had frequented the tribe often and seen Kieran multiple times before that. Why? What business did he have with the people of Ararangua?

Kai took a sip of his coffee, the New York skyline twinkling in front of him through the office window. The clock read five past two in the morning yet there was no lull in the traffic. His phone chimed with incoming messages and mail notifications, files and papers lying over the table in a disarray and pending work calling him back to the open laptop. He blinked twice and attempted to clear his head before putting the cup down on the table and gathering the papers lying scattered on his desk. The mess was so unlike him. He organized them into neat piles and put the folders he didn't need at the moment away.

Kai was in the middle of reading one of the folder's spines when he happened to notice his index finger reddening at the tip. He frowned as he dropped the folder and examined his finger. What he assumed to be a reddening of the skin due to some allergic reaction quickly spread into his hand, both of his hands. Confused, he strode toward the bathroom and turned on the faucet. Kai washed his hands in the cold water streaming into the basin but it was in vain as the water began to evaporate into steam, huge puffs of hot air wafting up into his face. "Shit" he cursed, shutting off the faucet and examining his hands with bewilderment.

The redness started emanating an effulgent orange glow.

"What the fuck?" Kai stalked back into his office, deciding to go back to the hotel and shower. He was stopped short when a tingling sensation erupted from the tips of his fingers and went up his arms. Kai stripped off his shirt to find that his arms were covered in the same glow as his hands. By now, they were almost translucent, he could see the veins under his luminescent skin, a dull blue which grew in brightness the more he stared at them.

A giant "plop" drew his attention to the floor by his feet where a large drop of gooey molten lava was burning a hole. Bizarre. Kai looked up at the ceiling to find it that it had disappeared, the star specked awning stretching above the building winking back at him as one of the stars came detached from the night sky and hurtled downwards, towards him. The meteor landed a meter away from his desk, liquifying into lava and beginning to dig a path through the ground. Another ten of the like joined the first two and Kai stood petrified for a moment before dashing for the still standing door, but before he could make it he was stopped by a hiss. He glanced up right as a giant glop of lava descended upon him.

Kai jerked awake, hands curled around the pillow tight. He waited for his heartbeat to return to normal before turning on the lamp and giving his arms a quick glance. Just to make sure. The beyblade Kenny had given him earlier that day lay by his head. Kai snatched it up as he sat upright on his bed, feet on the carpeted floor. The blade was so intricately carved he took a moment to appreciate its beauty and Kenny's hardwork, but he couldn't help noticing how the center of the bey gleamed in black. Void and stark empty. Lifeless.

Kai dragged his suitcase from under the bed and tossed the beyblade among his clothes, then zipped it closed and pushed it back in place. The dream floated around in his mind, the strangeness of it unsettling him, but most of all the question that it posed. What had Alistair King been doing in Ararangua?

He got up and paced around, head muddy, body restless. He checked the time. Three-thirty in the morning. The cream walls of the hotel room were dead silent, the plush brown carpet muting his footsteps as he walked aimlessly to the large bed and back to the window with thick parted curtains. He halted in front of it, gaze frozen on the invisible horizon, arms hanging limp by his sides. Kai realized that his chest felt weird.

The phone rang suddenly, startling him. Kai padded to the bedside table to answer the call. "Hello" he said through the microphone, wondering who wanted to talk to him this late in the night.

"I'm losing patience," came the gruff drawl of the Russian mafia man. Kai raised his eyebrows as he silently poured himself a glass of water. "Gonzalez is pissing me off. How many times have you taken her out? You've still gotten nowhere."

"Three" Kai replied, then drank from the glass.

"Three dates and no useful info yet. This is not working. Time for plan B."

"Told you it was a bad idea."

"I was trying to be _good_ and not be violent for once but I see that never gets shit done." Black took in an audible breath. "I'm outside her home. She's in right now. What do you say I grab her?" Kai straightened his spine, considering the consequences of saying yes. Gabriela would probably break as soon as she saw Black in his mask, but then again, she was definitely smarter than she appeared.

She graduated from Columbia University. Kai wanted to know what someone like her was doing working as a secretary for King.

"Don't let her find out we're working together," Kai reminded him.

"Never" he swore.

"Then go right ahead." Kai heard a sickening chuckle before Black hung up.

o - o - o - o - o

Gabriela started awake in the middle of the night. She sat up and gathered the fabric of her night gown around her shoulders wondering what woke her up. Switching on the lights in her bedroom, she slowly unlocked and opened the door to the living room. Gabriela had just pulled the door open by an inch when it was knocked back hard into her face and she was hurled to the floor. She was disoriented by the blow to her forehead and blinked hard to clear the stars in her vision, but before she could so much as scream a cloth was clamped down over her nose and mouth and she was forced to inhale whatever was coating the cloth.

Gabriela lost consciousness.

And the next time she opened her eyes, she saw the boogeyman.

o - o - o - o - o

Blu watched as Gabriela slowly regained her consciousness and began taking in her surroundings feeling a thrill run up his spine.

"Hi there," he greeted lovingly as her gaze finally landed on him and she physically reeled back with shock into the chair she was tied to. Her eyes were bloodshot, face a ghostly white, red hair more stringy than curly. "If you scream you'll die, so don't."

He could literally see the terror crawling into her pupils and making them tremble. Blu stepped out of the shadows of the small empty basement with nothing but a chair placed in the middle with Gabriela restrained against it. Her bare-feet slid and struggled against the ropes binding her ankles. Her scared, laboured breathing was so loud. So hysterical.

Blu had made some upgrades to his mask recently and judging by the poor girl's reaction it must have been quite the terrifying sight. He stopped in front of her, towering above her slender frame and stooped down to touch the edge of his shiny serrated knife to her chin. "Listen very carefully," he said to her in a whisper. "I am neither your friend, nor your enemy. I have a few questions and I want answers. You will give them to me and I will let you go. Si?" he asked with a nod.

Gabriela shook with fear, eyes fixated on him. "Who…are you?" She managed to ask.

"The boogeyman," he said, a slow smile curling on his lips.

Gabriela stared at him unblinkingly, the colour leaking further from her skin. "What do you want from me?" She asked again, on a roll with questions of her own.

Sensing that the girl was probably fond of idle chatter and would talk unnecessarily, Blu warned, "Don't make noise. Don't speak unless I ask you something or I'll cut your tongue out and feed you to the dogs. Understand?" And just to get his message across a bit more clearly, he applied enough pressure on the knife against her chin to slice a small cut that bled immediately, a drop of red dripping onto the loose white shirt Blu had changed her into. Gabriela gasped and whimpered, gaze begging for someone to save her from him.

Blu licked his lips, grinning in satisfaction as she obeyed and shut up. "Smart girl" He tapped her jaw with the side of the blade. "Let's begin, shall we?" He propped a boot up against the side of the chair, next to her thigh, causing her to flinch and attempt to pry her leg away. "Shh, sit still. You work as a secretary for that son of a bitch, Alistair King. I want to know why."

"Let me go!" Gabriela screamed all of a sudden and Blu kicked the chair, sending it flying to the floor, carrying the girl with it. Her head bounced off the ground and she moaned aloud in pain.

"What did I tell you about making noise, princess?" Blu demanded, pulling the chair back upright. Gabriela glared at him furiously, blinking tears out of her eyes. "All I want are some answers," he said softly, leaning into her face like he was telling her a secret. "Cooperate with me and I will let you go. Body intact. But if you don't," he combed the blade through her hair, "I'll show you all the things a knife can do to a little girl like you."

Gabriela gulped, her breath escaping her lungs in terrified exhales. "Do you understand?" he asked generously. She looked so scared and torn, like a loyal puppy who was asked to betray its master. Blu tsk-tsked. "I don't like your boss and I want information on him. I know you know things. I've been watching you for quite some time. You don't need to worry about King," he told her consolingly. "You worry about me. He may kill you for ratting him out but I will do worse if you don't. Either you talk," he pried her mouth open forcefully, and stuck two fingers inside to grab hold of her tongue and pinch it, "or I get rid of this useless thing."

o - o - o - o - o

Kai bent over the laptop, drumming his fingers on the table top as he read through emails from the UK branch at four am. Sometimes he wondered whether getting directly involved with the day-to-day management of all the different branches was a good idea and he had to remind himself of the story of the Richmond group who almost went under due to embezzlement. The knot in his upper back added to his overall misery and Kai sucked on a canine as he tried to ignore it.

His phone rang and he answered it without taking his eyes off the screen. "Yes?" he grumbled.

"Senorita works for King because her father owes money to the pig," Black informed him over the line.

Kai eased back and rubbed his nape with his free hand as he listened.

"Gonzalez senior used to be one of King's employees and a heavy gambler." Kai's gaze narrowed. Gabriela had told him her parents were both teachers. She'd lied. "He gambled away almost all of his income and when he ran out, took money right out of the company's bank." Embezzlement again. Kai's lips thinned as he looked back at the email from Stuart that he'd been forcing himself to read because of that very reason. "The pig found out, fired and threatened to kill Gonzalez. Senorita saved her father from the bullet by talking King into letting her pay off Gonzalez's debt by working for him." Black snorted. "Throw in an occasional sexual favor here and there." Kai grimaced, repulsed by the grotesque visual image.

"Of course," Kai said at last. He'd always suspected something of the like. Gabriela was way too qualified for her job.

"Also, King's got plans for you," warned Black, sounding perversely excited.

"I know that," Kai deadpanned before smothering a yawn, fighting sleep.

"No, no," Black corrected him. "He's not after your company, Kai. He's after your flesh and bone. He wants you." Kai listened silently, wide awake now, gaze intent on the opposite wall. "Gabriela said he's got something planned for you and she was a part of that plan, which was why she went on all those dates with you, brother. Not for the size of your dick." Black barked a humorless laugh.

"What does he want with me?" Kai asked after a beat.

"She doesn't know," said Black.

"Make her find out," Kai ordered.

" _With pleasure_ " he breathed into the microphone, then the line went dead.

o - o - o - o - o

The sun beat down on the roof of the car with a vicious intensity. Kai frowned at the afternoon traffic, still stuck in that morning's grouchy mood. It was too hot inside the car even with the air conditioning on. When he couldn't take it anymore, he ordered the driver to stop the car and stepped out into the street, popping a pair of sunglasses on.

He weaved around the cars, holding a hand out to halt oncoming vehicles and strode toward the shops. His phone rang for the hundredth time that day and he switched it off deciding he needed a half hour break. He entered a jewelry shop and approached the counter, removing the sunglasses and tucking them in his suit jacket.

Kai slipped a hand into his left pant pocket to draw the chain with the eight-pointed star out. "I'd like to pawn this necklace," he said as he placed it upon the counter. The middle-aged man behind it took the chain into his hands to examine it. "Well…"

Kai watched wordlessly as the man brought a lens to his eye and turned the star over, rubbing the surface with his thumb. "The gold is real," Kai mentioned after a moment of observation.

"Hmm" the man hummed thoughtfully, absorbed in whatever he was doing. Bored, Kai wandered a little further into the shop, looking around. His attention was caught by a woman and a child bending over something in a display case. He stepped toward them to peek at the contents of the case they were so interested in and found a collection of silver chains with odd-looking pendants.

"What are they?" he inquired, feeling uncharacteristically chatty.

The woman turned around, noticing him standing there for the first time. "Oh! They're dreamcatchers," she said with a smile.

Kai lifted an eyebrow at the unfamiliar term and she explained. "They give the wearer good dreams."

"Good dreams," he repeated under his breath, gaze drifting back to the pendants, mind on the dream he had last night.

"They're traditionally handmade with horsehair meshes and feathers," Kai looked at her with his head tilted to the side, "and you hang them on your bedpost but Lily has a habit of falling asleep in the school bus and she gets scary nightmares," she said indicating her child, "so I thought I'd buy her a nice, sturdy little pendant that she can wear all the time."

Kai's gaze fell on the small girl next to the woman who was clutching her mother's fingers tightly, eyes wide and innocent as she stared at Kai. He gave her a tiny smile and she hid behind her mother, making him smile wider. The woman laughed and apologized. Kai shook his head at the needless apology and considered the silver hoops again. There was one that kept catching his eye. A thin silver chain with a bead placed at the center of a delicate mesh, with a single silver feather attached to the hoop.

"That one is simply beautiful," commented the woman, following his gaze. "Why don't you buy it?"

o - o - o - o - o

Tyson dialed JB, leaning out the window observing the man Kai had stationed outside the building to "protect" him. What a pain in the ass. The penguin dude had followed him and his friends when they'd gone out earlier too, taking care to hide his presence but Tyson knew he was lurking anyway. He was irked.

"Yeah?" JB picked up, some song with a heavy bass playing in the background. Probably getting laced at a party.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" Tyson asked hesitantly. They hadn't talked properly since the accident and he worried for a moment that JB might turn him down.

"Sure, what you need?" He asked instead making Tyson smile. He hung out with the right people.

"Remember that Russian criminal I ran into?" Tyson raised the cigarette in his hand to take a hit.

JB was silent for a moment. They'd almost had an argument over this topic once. "Criminal is an understatement, don't you think?" he spoke after a while.

Tyson chuckled, blowing smoke into the night sky. He winced. "You're right," he agreed, voice low. "He's so much worse."

A shout went up at the party and cheers followed, JB cursed at the sudden increase in noise and Tyson heard shuffling sounds before a door closed somewhere in the background and the noise ceased. "You want to say what you need or…?"

"I want to know where he lives," Tyson stated suddenly. "He's here in the city and he's hiding out somewhere. Probably a place you can find out easily if you tried." After all, JB and gang slinked around the shadows of the city too. "Can you do that for me?" He stubbed his cigarette out as he waited for a reply.

"You gonna go after him?" JB posed, a hint of worry in his tone. "All by yourself?"

"No" Tyson lied. "I just want to know where he is so I can sleep better."

JB remained quiet, not quite believing him. Tyson exhaled.

"Look, I'm not crazy enough to go after a motherfucker who almost skinned me twice, okay? Let alone by myself, but I can't sleep knowing he's out there somewhere doing god knows what. It would help if I knew he's not anywhere nearby."

"Yeah, Tyson, don't sweat. I feel you. I feel you, man," he reiterated. Tyson bit his cheek, guilty over lying. "I'll get some guys on it for you and get back in a week or so, alright?"

Tyson let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Thank you"

o - o - o - o - o

"You need to cut down on the sugar and start eating real food."

"How is this not real food?" Tyson asked holding up a vanilla milkshake, the open fridge standing in between him and Kai.

"Leah says you don't eat anything she makes, and this is why," Kai continued, pointing at the contents inside the mini fridge. "You're loading up on sugar and carbs." How did he manage to stock up on so many unhealthy snacks and drinks? The refrigerator was practically overflowing with junk food.

"You talked to Leah?" Tyson gaped, eyes comically wide. "When?"

"I didn't," said Kai. "I overheard her talking about you in the grocery store."

Tyson blinked like a stunned puppy. "She's going around complaining to the world about my eating habits?" Kai stared at him bored. "Hiro really found his soulmate, didn't he?"

While Tyson stood there in a hoodie and shorts, reeling in amazement over his current housemates, Kai snatched the milkshake out of his hands. "Hey!" Tyson exclaimed before demanding for the drink in a sterner tone. "Give that back." He stretched an arm forward.

"I think you've had enough for one day," Kai told him, screwing the cap shut.

"Are you kidding?" Tyson asked, a second away from snapping at him. "Literally, Kai, give me the shake back."

"No" Kai raised the bottle over his head.

"I'm not eating your fucking veggies," Tyson dived for the drink and Kai reached his arm up as high as he could. "You have no right to decide what I eat," he got so close Kai could taste his vanilla breath on his tongue, "give it back, you asshole!" Tyson hopped on one foot and grabbed hold of the bottle with a triumphant whisper-yell, but Kai refused to let go. They ended up playing tug of war with the drink till Kai's grip accidentally twisted the cap around and flavoured milk poured down the front of his shirt in a thick white stream.

"Shit," Tyson gasped as Kai cursed and released the bottle to examine the damage. "I'm sor-" he almost apologized before he cut himself off and smirked. "Serves you right."

Kai glared at him, then yanked the stained shirt over his head, expression grim. Tyson laughed, shaking his head as Kai bent to wipe his chest and clean the stray drops on his pants. Tyson watched the back of Kai's head before tipping a little bit more milk over his upper back, causing him to snap his head up.

"Stop!" Kai cautioned, shooting daggers at Tyson while reaching a hand behind him to wipe the milk that had been deliberately poured on him.

"I thought you liked kinky shit," retaliated Tyson.

"That's you," Kai shot back, "not me."

"Excuse me?"

"Two words," Kai paused the wiping to look him in the eye, "'hurt me'"

Tyson flushed, mortified and scandalized. Kai almost grinned at him.

"You can't bring that up, Kai," Tyson argued once he was over the embarrassment of getting called out. "You can't hold what a person likes in bed against them in-" Did he learn that in college?

"Save the political debate for later and drink your fucking milkshake, you big baby." Kai turned around to reach for the jug of water placed on the bedside.

Tyson glared at him for a moment, then threw the capped bottle in his hand at Kai's head. It bounced off with a thunk and Tyson grinned daringly as he slowly spun around and met his eyes. "That's for patronizing me."

Kai attempted to intimidate Tyson with his icy stare but he refused to stand down. "I might have a broken leg but I can still kick your ass all the way to Japan," Tyson claimed when Kai's gaze pointedly fell to his bad leg. "Try me," he dared.

Kai didn't. Instead he walked around the bed, avoided Tyson and went straight for the door. "Kiss my ass," he tossed over his shoulder before tugging at the handle.

Tyson panicked. "No!" he whisper-yelled at Kai. " _No_ , don't go out there! He's in the hall watching the news. If he sees you, he'll think-" Tyson grabbed his forehead in distress. "I'm not ready to have that conversation with him yet. Please, Kai, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. _Please_ , don't open the door. I am _begging_ you," he implored, hands clasped in front of his chest.

Kai considered him quietly, fingers on the knob. "Please," Tyson pleaded. "You can do anything you want with me," he offered as a trade-off, spreading his arms wide in an 'I'm all yours' gesture. He stood there in his white flip-flops and a hoodie that was one size too large for him, rare dimple showing in his cheek with his arms open for Kai. And he couldn't resist. His fingers left the handle and Tyson exhaled. "Do whatever you want with me."

He offered himself up and Kai took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Tyson's waist and lift him up. "Wha- what are you doing," Tyson giggled as he scrambled for purchase on Kai's shoulder. "I'm not 5'5 any more, you idiot. I'm 6'1!" He laughed endlessly as Kai carried him all the way to the window sill and plopped him down. By the time he was done laughing, his cheeks were all pink and Kai's gaze glittered as he looked at him.

Tyson sniffed, dabbed at a tear and motioned toward Kai's chest. "What's that?"

Kai glanced down at the chain he'd forgotten he was wearing. Oh. "I bought it for you." He took off the dreamcatcher and put it around Tyson's neck, who studied it with care.

"For me?" he asked, confused.

"It's a dreamcatcher," Kai explained and Tyson tilted his head at him, a tuft of hair hanging over his right eye, "for giving you good dreams."

And this time Tyson's gaze lingered on Kai, mouth softly falling open. "The last time you gave me a necklace-"

"It saved your life," Kai finished his sentence, knowing very well that that wasn't what he was going to say, but Tyson didn't correct him.

He smiled, genuinely, gaze downcast. "It's really pretty," Tyson told him. "Thank you"

Caught off guard by the disarming way he thanked him, Kai fiddled with the ring on his hand, drawing Tyson's attention to it. "I've never seen you wearing this before," he commented, touching the ring and consequently the tips of Kai's fingers, sending tingles up his arms.

It was the Hiwatari crest that he'd put on because of the crappy mood he'd been in that morning. Not out of familial pride or ego but just to remind himself why he did what he did.

"Why?" inquired Tyson.

"No reason."

"There was a reason," Tyson stated confidently, gaze knowing.

"Yes, there was," whispered Kai.

Tyson didn't push, instead he took a breath and raised his hands to cup his face, his touch feather light across Kai's cheeks. "You can borrow one of my shirts or sleep here," he suggested quietly.

Sleep here? Kai shook his head, suddenly aware that he was standing in between Tyson's legs. "I can't sleep here," he told him.

"Why not? I can take the couch, I sleep on the couch most of the nights anyways, and you can take the bed."

"Sleeping on the couch is not a good habit," Kai advised, throat dry for some reason. "Your muscles will become stiff and painful." He reached over to massage Tyson's nape.

Tyson let out a low moan, lids drooping. "You're right, they do get stiff," he yawned in the middle of talking, "all the time."

Kai withdrew his hand and set it on Tyson's knee, skin silk-like and cool under his palm. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Stay" Tyson insisted, drawing him in and full on bear hugging him, ankles locking over the backs of Kai's thighs. He was engulfed by Tyson's scent, the hoodie he was wearing soft and comforting against Kai's tired body. He could fall asleep on his shoulder if he gave in. Tyson was all nice and inviting. "Stay" he urged in a smaller voice, dragging the syllable out longer and hugging him tighter. Kai pressed his smile into the edge of Tyson's hoodie, an inch away from his neck. Tyson's fingers found their way into his hair and Kai felt the tension physically leave his muscles. "And you have that obnoxious habit of waking up super early in the morning so you can be out of here waaay before Leah comes knocking on my door. You have no reason to say no."

Kai was sure there were plenty reasons why he should say no but cocooned in Tyson's warmth he couldn't think of any, so he agreed to sleep over on the condition that he gets the couch. Tyson was happy.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was longer wasn't it? *claps* I hope you enjoyed reading and I didn't get to thank yall properly last time because I was so tired. I can thank you now. THAAAAAAAAAANK YOUUUUUUUUUUU FOR READING AND REVIEWING. HOPE YOU HAD FUN. I love love love reading your responses and I wish I had more time to personally reply to each of you. Just know that I read every single one and I love you all okay? Take care of yourselves. Next chapter will be out sooner than you think. Have a lovely vacation. Merry Christmas! *sends hug and kisses*


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

You say we're just friends

but I swear when nobody's around

You keep my hand around your neck,

we connect,

are you feeling it now?

'Cause I am

I got so high the other night,

I swear to God,

I felt my feet leave the ground

 **Khalid**

"Thank you for smuggling me out of prison," Tyson was saying, the lights coming off the screen playing on the side of his face. "I am indebted to you forever, Mr. Hiwatari." He giggled, tugging on a licorice in his hand with his front teeth.

"Don't call me Hiwatari," said Kai, tearing his eyes away from Tyson's red candy-stained mouth. The walls of the hotel so quiet as though they were listening in on their conversation. The audio of the movie was set on low volume precisely so Tyson could talk Kai's ears off. He welcomed it. He hadn't heard him chatter away like this in a long time. "I hate that name."

"But it's your name," Tyson argued with a laugh stuck in the back of his throat. "And that's what your company is called. Hiwatari Enterprises."

"Hiwatari Industries," Kai corrected him.

"I-" Tyson cut himself off to stare at Kai like he was done with him, lips forming unsaid words and phrases and curses and whatnot before snapping them together in a tight purse. "My point still stands. If you hate it so much then why don't you just change it?"

As if Kai hadn't considered that option ages ago. He would've stripped himself of all of his association to his grandfather's godforsaken name and reputation if he could, but changing his name along with the company's title and trademark would have involved too much trouble. Trouble that wasn't worth his time. Or money for that matter. "Can't," Kai summed up his thoughts on the suggestion in one word for Tyson.

"Why?" His eyes were bigger than usual today. Had he always been that doe-eyed? He looked liked fucking Bambi as he waited for Kai to reply. "Too much trouble?"

Hello, mind reader. "Hn" Kai held out his palm for a candy. Tyson hadn't held back at all when he had asked him to order room service earlier. And Kai hadn't bothered to stop him when he'd gone from getting a lobster into the room to calling for all the varieties of confectionery available in the hotel's pantry because he was finally eating well. His cheeks were regaining their glow after weeks of being sunken and Kai longed to see Chipmunk Tyson again.

Tyson gasped dramatically. "You want chocolate?" He brought a hand to his chest in mockery. "Oh my God! Is this real? Am I dreaming?"

"Shut up and give me one."

Tyson laughed then grinned, eyes forming crescents and nose crinkling, pearly whites on display. "Really?" he asked, hand falling from his chest. "I thought it was unhealthy?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "Eating one candy won't kill me, Tyson."

"But I thought you hated candy?"

"I never said that."

Tyson gasped again. That was it. Kai dropped his hand. He didn't have the patience for Tyson's theatrics. He'd just wanted to try the licorice because the way Tyson ate the sweet made it look...Forget it. He didn't want it that much anyway. "Nevermind"

"No no no no," Tyson backpedaled, quickly schooling his expression and snatching up a gummy bear from his lap. Kai had been asking for the licorice but well, he wasn't going to explicitly demand for it. "Can I do it?"

Do what? Kai directed a baffled stare his way. Tyson's grin grew as he shuffled around on the couch to face Kai. "This is a legendary moment. Please?" he requested, holding up the sweet to Kai's mouth, purple light gliding across his skin.

Was he seriously offering to feed him candy? Kai couldn't decide whether he felt disgusted or intrigued. Tyson was a strange creature. His hand hovered near his lips and Kai stared in wonder as Tyson slowly and unconsciously drew his own lip into his mouth to bite down on it in excitement. God help him.

"You're crazy," Kai told him.

Tyson giggled again, the sound bouncing off Kai's ears in tinkles that tickled the sides of his neck as he leaned in, the line of his waist dipping as he stretched sideways on the couch to reach Kai. "Aw come on, I'll be able to brag about it for ages afterward."

"Is that really something to brag about?"

Tyson pouted, lips irresistible. Kai almost caved right then. "Don't ruin my fun," he said through the pout, nudging Kai with the gummy bear.

He was actually going to go through with it. He recalled Tyson's words clearly. 'I'm not interested in you. Not like that. Not anymore.' _Then what are you doing, Tyson?_ thought Kai. _What are you doing calling me to sleep over at your place? Coming with me to my hotel room and acting like you are you and I am me when we're not who we used to be anymore?_

Kai opened his mouth, gaze on Tyson's brown brown eyes. He felt the brush of Tyson's fingers against his lips as the candy met his tongue, watching Tyson's pout smooth into a relaxed line. He closed his mouth, tasting the sticky tips of Tyson's fingers before he withdrew them. Kai saw the way Tyson's lips thinned as he retracted his hand and settled back into the couch. The tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

 _What a bad idea, Tyson. May be if you stopped lying to yourself we could be who we used to be again. May be. Just may be._ Kai heard him draw a deep breath, the outline of his chest rising in the dim light. What even was playing on the TV? Kai had no idea. He'd let Tyson pick the movie and neither of them had paid attention past the first ten seconds; Tyson more interested in trying out all the different sweets and Kai in watching him do it.

Kai jutted out his chin, grappling for a safe conversational topic as Tyson tore open a snickers bar and began munching on it silently. The gummy bear tasted terrible. He swallowed it, extremely aware of Tyson's bright presence by his side. He wore a downy pink shirt with big white horizontal stripes and sleeves that cut off midway between his elbow and wrist, washed out blue jeans covering his legs.

It was hard. To have him near but not near enough. To want to touch him and have him in arm's length and not be able to reach out or tell him the things he wanted to tell him. And Kai didn't know what he wanted to say but he felt like he had a lot of things to say to Tyson. Pull him close and look into his eyes and tell him. Tell him how his heart was about ready to burst.

Kai turned his head toward Tyson and he glanced back at him, face open and soft. _Do it, Kai_ , said the voice inside his head. _Do it the way you did two years ago. Take him by the waist and make him remember._ Kai curled his fist to keep himself from touching Tyson. _If he wanted to, he'd come to me_ , thought Kai.

But he had come. He was here. What was he doing here?

The curtains were parted, allowing the city lights to stream in. They were fifty floors above the ground, the tips of other skyscrapers in the area visible from this high up. It seemed as though all the lights around them had been dimmed enough to highlight Tyson's presence in his room. On the couch. A foot away. Waiting for Kai to say something. To do something. Unwrapped Snickers bar forgotten.

He gulped, feeling like he'd swallowed a lot of air. His heart galloped away in his chest. The beats loud enough to be heard in the quiet. He lifted a hand, feeling like he was at the top of a rollercoaster, right before it fell. Tyson stayed still as the side of Kai's index finger grazed his chin. A jolt of electricity shot up his arm at the contact. His breath caught in his lungs as he brought up a thumb and hovered above his lips: slightly swollen and cherry stained from the red licorice he'd been sucking on.

Kai met Tyson's gaze, full of life, full of a light that did things to Kai's insides. His heart jumped at the glint he found in his chocolate irises. His thumb touched Tyson's warm mouth and heat pooled in his gut. He didn't flinch or create distance between them. He waited with dark eyes and Kai applied a tiny bit of pressure so that his thumb met Tyson's lower teeth and his mouth fell open, slicking the tip of his finger. His breath stuttered out over Kai's skin and he pulled out. Slowly. Tyson's saliva leaving a cold sensation on the patch of skin that had been coated with it as it dried.

 _What do you want, Tyson Granger?_ Kai wondered as he let his hand slide under Tyson's ear, thumb resting on his soft cheek. He leaned in, giving him enough time to move away. He didn't. Gaze steady on Kai's. The lights from the movie painted his face in different colours. His eyes were so beautiful. Kai loved the shape of them. Loved the way the thick, long lashes framing them made them look like they were lined with kohl. But most of all, the emotions he saw swirling in them. "Tell me to stop if you don't want to," he whispered to him.

Tyson's gaze drifted from one of Kai's eyes to the other. Then came back to focus on the first. He drew a breath like he wanted to say something and Kai waited, but nothing followed. Tyson blinked once, pupils wide; he wasn't high though. Kai let his gaze drop and listened to the way Tyson's breath hitched. He tilted his head and inched closer, his heart hammering so hard he was sure it was going to fly all the way out of his body. "Tell me to stop," Kai said again. Tyson did nothing. And Kai felt his stomach drop. _What are you doing, Tyson? What are you doing? What do you want_ me _to do?_

This close, Kai could smell him. The shampoo in his hair, the soap on his body, the fake fruits on his breath. Kai leaned in till his nose touched the skin right next to Tyson's and he heard him make the tiniest of sounds. His fingers pressed into his neck and cheek and he kissed him. Tyson let out a sound of surprise as Kai poured two years worth of longing into the kiss. _Tyson_ , he wanted to tell him. _I didn't want to let you go. I didn't mean to walk away. I wanted to go up on our hill with you and hold you in my arms for as long as possible. I missed you. I missed your smile, your laugh, your jokes, your pouts. I loved you. I love you._

He kissed his upper lip, then his lower lip, wound an arm around his waist and pulled him close before opening his mouth and tasting him. Tyson kissed him back, with equal fervour, hands skittering up to his collar and the back of his head to drag him into himself. Kai pressed him into the couch and tilted his head further to get better access and Tyson started to moan beneath him. Their kisses were loud in the quiet room and Kai couldn't stop. Tyson's hand slid into his hair and he pulled, coaxing a broken sound from Kai. Two years. Two fucking years he'd been deprived of this. Kai wanted to pull him into his lap but he couldn't. He had to be mindful of Tyson's leg. He sucked in his tongue and felt Tyson shiver against him. He ran the hand he had on the side of his neck down to the front of his throat and squeezed lightly. Tyson's breath caught and he surged up against him. Kai yearned to put his hands everywhere. Turn him into a writhing mess under him. He pinned him into the couch cushion till he felt the pressure in his gut mount to a compelling need and then he had to stop. He pulled away. Slowly. Pressing close mouthed kisses against Tyson's lips and forcing himself to put distance between their bodies. Tyson chased after him, wanting more.

Kai stared at him, breathing heavily till Tyson opened his eyes and read his expression for a moment before the cloud of blatant desire in his irises cleared up and he fell back into the couch with a sigh, Kai's hand resting against his throat. He planted a kiss on the side of his jaw and let go of him. Tyson followed his actions with a hooded gaze, mouth still open and inviting. Kai fisted the cushion adjacent his head, licking his lips and finding the lingering taste of Tyson. "Not interested like that, huh?" Kai asked, voice filled with more air than actual sound.

The question seemed to snap Tyson out of something, vaporizing the liquid want in his gaze. He blinked, turning his attention to his lap where the abandoned Snickers lay, ready to ruin his jeans. Tyson plucked it from his lap and set it on the table after straightening out the wrapper. His movements notably sluggish as if coming out of a stupor. Kai released the cushion, watching as Tyson eased back into the couch, head still hung low. He let out a single, dumbfounded laugh, the corners of his mouth quirking up, revealing a bit of teeth. "Okay" he said, the syllables delivered with an airy mixture of astonishment and amusement. He fiddled with his hands, cracking his knuckles and lightly hunching his shoulders before raising his gaze to Kai's, stealing his breath for a moment. Tyson looked away again. "Wow" he said in a way that was barely discernible, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he clenched it. He appeared borderline embarrassed, but mostly confused. There wasn't anything Kai wouldn't have given to know what was going through Tyson's mind in that instant.

Kai had allowed him plenty of time to shove him off, but he hadn't. Why did he seem so surprised now? Tyson cleared his throat and lifted his head, then changed the topic. "My cast is coming off tomorrow," he announced cheerily, voice pitched slightly higher than normal.

Kai held his stare, letting him know he was choosing to let it go for now. "Is it?" he humoured him.

"Yep! Can't wait to walk again. Man, it's been a decade," Tyson sighed, shaking his head. His leg was encased in plaster which had once been neat and not scribbled all over with coloured sketch pens and Sharpies. No doubt the work of his friends and Tyson himself. They were extremely talented artists. The cast looked absolutely horrible. Kai glanced back at Tyson to find him snatching his gaze away from him. His heart thrummed quietly, bleeding colour into his insides, painting them with alien feelings. Feelings that felt new and old at the same time. He wondered if he'd ever been this much of a sucker for anyone. Or anything.

 _What are you doing, Tyson? What are you doing to me?_

Kai watched him clasp his hands daintily, eyes on his joined palms, and then on the screen. The credits had begun rolling a long time ago, labels and company names were gliding up now. His lips tingled. Something in his chest popped and fizzed each time he snuck a look at the boy next to him. Jesus fucking Christ. What was wrong with him? He was gone. Completely gone.

* * *

A/N: HELLO, HAPPY NEW YEAR. IT'S 2020 YALL! HOPE YOUR YEAR'S OFF TO A GREAT START. By the way, these dumb boys are so dumb. God help them. This scene had to be a single chapter because I didn't want anything else taking away the importance of it. And it's the start of the year so let's start it beautifully. Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading. Leave a comment. I love you all. See you soon.


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